Dead Cold
by Punisherstfu
Summary: When the dead rise in the middle of the biggest blizzard in Alberta's recorded history what will one guy do to survive.
1. Prologue

A/N - So this has been kicking around in my head for a long time now and I figured if people were reading it, I might have incentive to write it all the through to the end. I know the prologue is short but hey it's a prologue, you could even call it a teaser. So without further adu I hope you enjoy it and please review.

Prologue

The end of the world, end of days, the apocalypse, all terms for the end of mankind. No one knew how or when it would come about, but it was always at the back of everyone's mind. Every person on the planet wondered if it would happen in their lifetime and what they would do if it did. In every religion there was talk of the apocalypse, most involving fire and brimstone. No one could have guessed what would actually bring about the end of days, how quickly it would happen or how helpless a majority of humanity would be against it.


	2. Chapter 1: A Bad Day

Chapter 1: A Bad Day

Roland Castle sat straight up in his bed already knowing he had overslept. Looking around his bedroom he could tell something was wrong; there was no light from the various electronics around the room and no sound either. A quick check of his alarm clock confirmed what he already suspected; the power was out. Must have been knocked out by the blizzard he thought searching around for his cell phone in the dark. The worst storm in sixty years the weather network talking head had said, it had started the previous day and was still going strong if the sound at the window was any indication. He found his cell phone on the floor; the back and battery had come off. "Must have had another nightmare." He said out loud to the empty room.

Putting the phone back together he held the power button hoping the phone had been charged before he had knocked it to the floor. A bright white screen blazed into existence and the phone emitted a chiming tone. As the phone finished booting up he frowned when he saw it had only one bar of power left. "Shit!" He cursed as he saw the time. It was 6:30 he had overslept by an hour and a half and missed the bus. Throwing off a polar fleece blanket and jumping out of the bed in one quick motion he looked around using the phone as a makeshift flashlight. Standing in only a pair of boxers Roland shivered as the cold air hit his skin causing instant goose bumps. As he threw open the closet he mused that the power outage must have happened a while ago for the apartment to be so cold.

Roland stood six feet tall and one hundred and eighty pounds; he had deep-set green eyes and a full head of dirty blonde hair. His skin was white with a large of amount of tattoos cover a large amount of his upper body. Pursing his unusually red lips Roland started quickly picking out his clothes for the day. A pair of dark blue jeans, a black long sleeve undershirt, a black button down dress shirt, and black thermal socks. Shutting the closet door he grabbed his cell phone, cigarettes, wallet and lighter shoving them into different pockets. Pulling on his watch he glanced at the glowing dials and hurried out the door. Ignoring the kitchen completely he went straight to the front door and started pulling on a pair of black suede boots, the two bedroom apartment empty except for him; the last roommate moving out a month previous and his brother gone to the states for Christmas. The boots tied he stood up and fumbled in the dark for his jacket, felling the pleather he pulled the black, high collared jacket off the hangar and over his shoulders. Pulling a long black scarf off the same hangar he tied it around his neck before zipping up the jacket.

I'm gonna have to buy lunch today Roland thought as he pulled his grey backpack off the shelf and slung it over his shoulders. Snatching up his keys he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. The hallway was slightly light in a creepy way thanks to the exit signs at either end of the hallway, the emergency light's battery having died long ago. The door locked he started down the hallway towards the parking lot and the truck, his beloved Mustang in storage for the winter. The blizzard was still going strong and a frown crossed his face as he looked through the glass door into the parking lot. There was at least six inches of snow on the ground and his truck and it was still falling heavily. Pulling on a pair of gloves he shoved the door open and stepped out into the storm the wind almost knocking him over as the door slammed shut behind him. Pressing the unlock button as he made his way across the parking lot he slipped on a patch of ice falling backwards into the soft snow. Cursing Roland continued towards the truck making sure to watch his footing.

Using his arm he brushed the snow off of the driver's door and pulled it open nearly falling again. Tossing his backpack on the passenger seat he climbed into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut. Roland hated winter; he hated being cold, he hated snow, and at the moment he hated Fort McMurray. He cursed the weather as he shook the snow out of his messy hair now dripping wet, must be minus forty with the wind chill he mused. Looking in the rearview mirror he pulled of his gloves and slicked back his hair with one hand. His hair as under control as he could get it Roland put the key into the ignition and turned listening to the engine rumble to life. The heat turned to full; he grabbed the ice scraper and opened the door stepping back out into his personal hell. The snow was heavy and wet, stinging his eyes as he quickly swept snow of the hood and roof.

Safely back in the truck he basked in the heat coming from the vents, the first time he had been warm since leaving his bed. Pulling a smoke out of his pack and lighting it he shifted the truck into drive and slowly started out of the parking lot. He had half an hour to make the thirty-five kilometer drive to work and as he took a long draw of his smoke he realized he should probably call in to work. Cigarette hanging from his lip as he dialed he wondered why he hadn't seen any other vehicles now that he had pulled onto Franklin. He flicked ash out the window while he listened the phone ring unanswered, rolling through another intersection he noticed all the streetlights were out. Dropping his smoke out the window he hung up the phone and tossed it onto the passenger seat. Weird no one would answer he thought as he drove down the pitch-black street his headlights the only illumination. As he turned onto the highway and headed north it struck him that he still had not seen another vehicle on the road.

About fifteen kilometers out of town he saw the flashing lights through the snow and slowed to a crawl. Coming to the scene of what looked like an accident Roland clicked on the four way flashers and brought the vehicle to a stop. To his right a large black shape sat in the ditch, a cop car parked directly behind it with the door open and directly in front of him was an ambulance turned on its side facing him. His seatbelt off he grabbed a flashlight from the floor in the back and stepped out of the vehicle. "Is anyone there?" He yelled over the roar of the wind.

When he got no answer Roland walked over to the cop car squinting his eyes in the snow, the engine was still running and something was dripping from the door. Shining the light on the door and driver's seat he saw that blood covered the seat and door, dripping in thick red globs staining the white snow beneath the door. Stepping away from the cop car he shined his light on the hulking mass, revealing it to be an overturned welding truck. Walking around the side of the truck he saw that the driver's side window had been shattered and blood was spattered on the inside of the windshield. His heart pounding in his ears Roland turned and headed back to the truck when he stopped and looked at the cop car, the shotgun was still in the rack above the front seat. The wind seemed to moan as Roland considered the crime he was about to commit but something in the back of his mind told him he might need the weapon sometime soon. Disregarding his better judgment he walked back over to the cruiser and doing his best not to touch anything pulled the keys from the ignition the engine instantly silenced. Walking around to the passenger side he pulled the door open and leaned in shining the flashlight on the long black gun, it was locked through the trigger guard and need a three sided key. Finding the appropriate key on the chain he unlocked the shotgun and pulled it free finding it heavier than he would have thought.

After checking the glove compartment for more shells he decided the check the trunk. Leaving the passenger door open he headed around to the back and popped the trunk marveling at the veritable treasure trove he had found. There were two boxes of twelve gauge ammunition for the shotgun one was buckshot the other metal slugs, there was also a better flashlight, a collapsible baton, and a bullet proof vest with Monroe on the right breast. Filling a black duffel bag he'd also found in the trunk Roland headed back for his truck, the exhaust continuing to rumble as he tossed the duffel bag into the backseat. Once he was back in the driver's seat with the doors locked he looked over the shotgun, it was a Remington 870 pump action the standard RCMP issue he remembered from the RCMP Wikipedia page. Placing the shotgun stock first onto the passenger seat Roland was about to put the truck in reverse to turn around when he looked into ambulance and saw the black body bag laying in the back. The back door was open and the wind was gusting fairly hard but as he shifted into reverse and was backing away Roland could have sworn what ever was in the body bag was moving.


	3. Chapter 2: Bad to Worse

Chapter 2: Bad to Worse

Driving back to town Roland turned up the stereo to distract himself but he couldn't stop thinking about the body bag or the blood on the cruiser. Looking down at the speedometer he realized he was going a little faster than was safe considering the conditions and eased his foot off the gas pedal; the Dakota had good tires but he didn't want to risk crashing especially know there was no one to come to his aid. Reaching the edge of town Roland slowed down at an intersection and crossed over onto the south bound side of the divided highway that ran from one end of Fort McMurray to the other, keeping his eyes peeled for anything moving. He didn't see anything as he passed Confederation and Thickwood drives, their unfinished overpasses looming large and ominous in the heavy snow. Once he crossed the bridge and was on the south side he started to notice dark shapes on either side of the road, some with hazard lights or interior lights still on. Roland could see no tracks in the snow ahead of him so he assumed they had been there for a while.

The snow was getting deeper rapidly and while the truck had good tires on it, it was only two-wheel drive so Roland pushed the gas pedal a little harder. If the snow got to deep he'd be stuck without a vehicle in a town with no power and no people. There were at least a dozen vehicles overturned on Beacon Hill but he didn't see anymore once he reached the top. Lighting a smoke he grabbed his cell phone and pressed the power button the screen lighting up the cab of the truck, and a warning popped up saying he had no service. "Best coverage in Canada my ass." He muttered to himself as he passed the city limits sign.

Fifteen minutes after he passed the city limits sign a mass of dark shapes filled his headlights and he slammed both feet down on the brake pedal. "SHIT!" He screamed as the front of the truck collided with the side of a Hyundai Tiburon with a loud crunch. His backpack and cell phone flew off the front seat and he felt his toolbox slam into the back of his seat as he was held back by the seatbelt. Taking a deep breath he put the truck in park and unbuckled his seatbelt. He could see the silver Tiburon's door had been caved in by the impact and he was pretty sure his passenger side headlight was smashed; thankfully he had hit the other car at an angle. Gathering his thoughts, the flashlight, and the shotgun he opened the door and climbed out of the truck. Other than the headlight Roland could find no damage on the Dakota, the Tiburon's door was folded in half and the window was shattered. Peering through the snow Roland realized there must have been hundreds of vehicles covering both sides of the highway and the intersection, it looked like a drunken parking lot; many of the vehicles had lights on or doors open.

The snow was eight inches deep now and as he looked at the carnage around him he knew the Dakota was not going to make it through the ditch and onto the other side of the mess. He had to go back to the city to find another vehicle. Once back inside the truck his stomach gave a loud rumble reminding him he had yet to eat. With only one headlight it was slow going back to town and it gave him a lot of time to think about what had transpired since he had woken up which had felt like years but was actually only two hours. By the time he reached town he was still wondering what had happened, where everyone had gone, and how he had missed an evacuation then he remember the answer to one question. He had taken a sleeping pill the night before in an effort to force his internal clock back onto a being awake during the day schedule. He was never able to fully adjust to the switch from night shifts to day shift and often stay up during the night right up until he had go back on days. That just left the questions of why everyone had been evacuated and what had happened to them.

Deciding to return to his apartment to get food before searching for another vehicle Roland turned off of the highway and the Dakota was slammed into the back of a flatbed work truck that had been parked in the Tim Horton's line-up, all four doors left open. Roland saw the truck too late as he felt the other truck's trailer hitch tear through the Dakota's radiator before the front of the Dakota crumpled into the other trucks deck. In an instant both airbags deployed as everything in the truck including Roland shifted forward violently, an air compressor coming from the back seat and striking the windshield. Roland felt his head snap forward and then backwards just as everything went black for him.

The sound of the truck's horn filled his ears as Roland shook himself awake and looked around. Things were strewn all around the truck and airbag powder covered large portions of the front seats and his legs. Punching the steering wheel to make the horn stop and gathering his thoughts he unbuckled his seatbelt feeling a spot in the center of his chest already starting to bruise. Grabbing his cell phone, backpack and the shotgun Roland climbed out of the truck and surveyed the damage before heading around to the passenger side for the duffel bag. The Dakota was destroyed; green antifreeze colored the snow underneath the crumpled front end and jagged pieces of metal had punctured both tires. Once around on the passenger side Roland put the bulletproof vest on underneath his jacket and after emptying its contents put the flashlight, ammunition and a spool of rope into his backpack. Making sure he had the keys in his pocket Roland started walking towards his apartment, it was normally only a five minute walk through the mall and Superstore parking lots. The weather made the trek much more difficult as Roland had to take baby steps to keep from tripping over curbs. The line up at Tim Horton's was full of cars; all with doors open and empty, Roland considered checking for one with keys but figured it would be safer just to walk to his apartment.

Halfway across the mall parking lot Roland saw a shape coming out of the snow towards him and it might have been the wind but he could swear he heard it moan loudly. "Is someone there?" The shape continued to move towards him. "Hey are you alright?" Still no reply came but the moan seemed to be getting louder. Just as he was about to call again the snow cleared and Roland got a good look at the shape. It was a homeless woman bundled up in mismatched clothes, her mouth was open and her arms outstretched but the thing he noticed most was the chunk of her neck that was missing and the large red stain on her jacket. Dropping his guard Roland rushed forward. " Oh my god, are…" He was cut off as she lunged forward tackling him to the ground her teeth snapping as she reached for his neck.


	4. Chapter 3: What the

Chapter 3: What the…

Holding her at bay with the shotgun Roland was thankful she had mittens covering her hands as she tried to claw and grab for him all the while continuing to bite at him like a hungry dog. Red bile dripped from her mouth making Roland move his head to the side to keep it from getting on him. Regaining his composure Roland pushed his right arm up, hard while simultaneously bringing his left arm down knocking the feral woman off of him and into the snow. Pushing himself backwards in an attempt to get away from the psychotic homeless woman he wondered what the hell was wrong with her. He only made it a few feet before she recovered and began crawling after him on her hands and knees looking for all the world like a rabid dog. Bringing up the shotgun he pointed it at the woman. "Lady get back, I don't want to kill you!" He shouted as she launched herself at him her mouth open wide. Roland pulled the trigger and listened as the gun clicked. "Shit!" The woman was almost on top him and in desperation Roland swung the shotgun, the butt of the weapon making a loud crack as it connected with her face knocking her away.

Standing up as quick as he could Roland tried cocking the shotgun as the homeless woman stood up apparently unfazed by the large cut in her face. "This is your last warning, I will shoot!" She lunged and Roland squeezed the trigger. The effect was incredible, the big gun roared and bucked hard against his shoulder. Most shocking of all was the homeless woman's head disintegrating in a red mist before her body collapsed into the snow. "Holy shit." Roland panted as he cocked the shotgun, the empty shell falling into the snow.

The moan of the wind was getting louder and Roland looked towards the mall. What he saw sent adrenaline coursing through his veins. Coming towards him through the snow was a large crowd of people and he suddenly realized the moan wasn't the wind but instead the group of people shambling towards him. Almost without thinking Roland turned and started running towards Superstore, slipping on the ice and stumbling but never falling as he ran the five hundred feet towards the store. Upon reaching the front entrance he tried everything to open the automatic sliding door and found it to be locked. He could hear the moans and see the crowd through the snow as they made their way across the parking lot towards him. With no other alternative Roland shut his eyes and slammed the butt of the shotgun into the large pane of glass next to the door shattering it.

Once inside it was easy to pull apart the inner doors and enter the store proper. Peering through the glass into the storm he could see that the mob was only twenty feet from the doors and quickly pulled the inner doors closed, hoping it would slow them down. The store was completely black and Roland clicked on his flashlight shining it around the store, making sure nothing moved. Remembering his rumbling stomach he ran over to the food section and grabbed a carton of juice and a box of Poptarts. He shined his flashlight on the door as he made his way to the stairwell entrance, there were at least thirty people, he wasn't sure if he could call them people anymore, crammed into the entry way pushing against the doors and scratching at the glass.

Pausing Roland shined the flashlight across the entryway and examined the faces of the creatures on the other side of the glass. He could now see that they were definitely not people, their eyes were yellowish and their lips pulled back to the point of being almost nonexistent. Ignoring the obvious wounds they all sported and the red stains around their mouths, Roland couldn't look away from their yellow eyes; their dead, lifeless eyes. The sound of cracking glass ended his reverie and Roland ran for the stairwell as the panes started to give way. He could hear the panes shatter as he reached the top of the stairs and the moaning filled the stairwell as the creatures started for the stairwell. Crashing through the heavy door at the top of the stairs Roland spun and kicked the door shut locking the heavy deadbolt. He could hear the bloodcurdling moans and scratches at the door and wondered how long it would keep them out.

Entering the supervisor's area Roland shined his flashlight around doing his best to ignore the moans coming from the other side of the big door. A large square with two exits other than a counter around most of the room with a photocopier in the center the supervisor's area was empty. He didn't know why and he hadn't been there in years but Roland couldn't help an intense feeling of loneliness as he looked around. Ignoring the supervisor's area Roland headed off down the long dark hallway towards the break room, lighting a cigarette as he went. "Don't think anyone will mind." He chuckled out loud as he blew smoke towards the roof.

Pausing at the entrance to the break room Roland held his breath and listened, the moans were muffled and he couldn't hear anything else nearby so he exhaled a sigh of relief and headed for the nearest couch. Crushing the smoke under his boot Roland opened the juice and Poptarts, quickly devouring four of the s'mores flavored breakfast snacks. Putting down the empty juice carton his stomach full again Roland thought about everything that had transpired in the three hours since he had woken up. He knew the power for the entire town was out, there was no cellular services, and what seemed to be dead bodies were walking around and attacking people. He considered his current situation; there were at least thirty of the creature not far looking for him, he had no vehicle, he had a shotgun with twenty five spare shells, and the only way south was blocked by hundreds of vehicles. "Well I guess I'm pretty much screwed." He pulled out another smoke and leaned back into the couch.


	5. Chapter 4: Now What

Chapter 4: Now What

The crash of someone moving around in the dark brought Roland to his feet in an instant, the shotgun in one hand and flashlight in the other. The crash had come from around the corned near the washrooms and emergency exit. Stomping out half a cigarette Roland walked over to the corner, the light and shotgun leading the way. Stepping quickly around the corner he couldn't see anything moving near the emergency exit or between the bathrooms but another sound coming from the women's bathroom caught his attention. Tip toeing up to the door he was about to push it open when it was pulled open from the other side and a very frightened face was staring back at him blinking in the bright light.

It was a woman in her early twenties and he guessed she had been in there for quite a while. Her short black hair was messy and there were large black bags underneath her blue eyes. She was a head shorter than Roland and could not have weighed more than one hundred pounds, she wore blue jeans, a black nylon jacket, and black hiking boots that looked liked like tiny versions of Roland's. "Are you okay?" The expression on her face changed from terror to relief as he spoke and she started sobbing as she walked up and wrapped her arms around him.

Unsure of what else to do Roland slowly lowered her to the ground as he felt her collapse letting the shotgun clatter to the floor when he was close enough and wrapping his now free arm around the sobbing form pressed against the bulletproof vest he had almost forgotten. After a few minutes she pulled her face away from his chest and looked up at him with blood shot eyes. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Your welcome." Was all Roland could think to say. "Who are you and what happened?"

"My name's Crystal Hills, I got separated from my brother during the evacuation and then the car ahead of me went into the ditch and I went in behind it, when I got out of the car to check on them they attacked me." She showed where the left forearm of her jacket was torn. "Then I tried to find somewhere to hide and this was the only place with the door unlocked."

"The door was unlocked?" Roland's raised his right eyebrow at that.

"Well not the main ones, but the one off to the side." Roland let out a laugh and she looked a little confused. "Who are you and how did you end up here?"

"I'm Roland Castle and I slept through the evacuation I guess then I totaled my truck and a mob of those things chased me here." She gave him a look that said she questioned his sanity. "So tell me what were you planning to do next after hiding in the bathroom."

"Well I was hoping that rescue would come eventually but it looks like you're all I'm gonna get."

"I'm afraid so sister, I don't think anyone is coming to help either of us, so any ideas on how to get out of here?" Roland helped her to her feet, she was cute he thought and hoped the attitude was just a result of the situation.

"Maybe we can get another vehicle since ours are both wrecked and head south and maybe find my brother on the way."

"Gonna need to be something for heavy duty off road, and what happened to your brother anyways?" The shotgun retrieved he led her back to the break room.

"He was in Timberlea house sitting with his girlfriend, the last text message I got said they're outside the phones quit." Crystal sat down on the couch and taking a Poptart muttered to herself. "Leave it to a guy."

Roland smiled to himself. "I hate to tell you this sweetheart, but if your brother might not be you're brother anymore and we'd need a vehicle to get to Timberlea and it might be for nothing."

"He's alive, he has to be!" Anger and fear covered her face. "Plus it might interest you to know that his girlfriend's parents own a Hummer H1 which is parked in their driveway."

Roland's eyes widened and his smile grew. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go get your brother."

Finishing off the last of the Poptarts Roland though of his own family. His mother and brother were in North Carolina, his sister was in Edmonton, and his dad lived in Kelowna; he hoped that they were okay and whatever was going on in Fort McMurray hadn't hit there yet. He worried about his sister most, Edmonton was closest and all those cars on the highway had been south. He still didn't know what was making people turn into monsters or why Crystal and himself hadn't become them, but he knew he probably didn't want to know anyways. The Poptarts gone Roland took out his cigarettes offering one to Crystal. "Yes, thank you." She inhaled deeply after lighting it. "I left mine in the car along with my cell, haven't had one since. What time is it anyways?"

Roland look at the glowing dials on his watch as his lit his own cigarette. "Twenty after ten." He had only been awake four hours but it felt like an eternity.

The cigarettes finished Roland grabbed his backpack and the shotgun and they headed for the emergency exit. Holding the shotgun in the crook of his arm he pulled on his gloves making a mental note to find a strap for the big gun. "Here's the plan, were gonna make a run for the mall and the storm is probably still pretty bad so to keep from getting split up we should hold hands until we get to the mall."

"I've been meaning to ask, where did you get a shotgun?" Crystal said pulling on a pair of gloves.

"I found it in a cop car that wasn't being used." She nodded and Roland shoved the emergency exit open.


	6. Chapter 5: Christmas Shopping

Chapter 5: Christmas Shopping

They stepped out into the still raging blizzard and Roland thought the blizzard seemed worse than before, thirty feet above the ground on the rickety metal stairwell it felt like a below freezing hurricane. He felt Crystal's small hand close around his and they both started off down the stairwell taking their time in the almost knee deep snow. The sun behind the clouds made it so they could see without the flashlight but the heavy snow stung their eyes and limited their visibility. They trudged through the snow heading towards what Roland could only hope was the mall, the moans of the undead carried by the wind chilling him more than the cold ever could. That's what they were Roland thought they were dead of that there could be no doubt, and yet they were up and walking around. Crystal stumbled over something midways across the parking lot and Roland turned to catch her seeing the fleshless face staring up from the snow she had disturbed. "Thanks." Was all she said as they pressed on towards the mall.

Roland almost walked into the wall before he saw it coming to a quick stop Crystal bumping into him as he did. Putting his right hand on the wall and keeping Crystal's in his left he followed along the wall until he came up to the first door. Looking towards Superstore he thought he could see something moving through the snow towards them, actually it looked like a lot of somethings. "Cover your ears." He instructed as he aimed the shotgun at the deadbolt while she put both her gloved hands over her ears. Roland squeezed the trigger and the big gun barked and recoiled against his should as the deadbolt disappeared replaced with a gaping hole. Reaching for the door he hoped that was the only lock as he pulled on the handle. The door swung open and he held it for Crystal as she hurried through. Turning to look through the snow he saw the horde was very close as he stepped through pulling the door shut behind him.

Seeing a pin style lock at the bottom of the door Roland shoved it into place thankful it hadn't been locked before following Crystal out of the backroom and into the store. Looking around Roland saw they were in the high-end clothing store but couldn't remember what it was called. "What's next?" Crystal asked eyeing a jacket and looking at her ripped sleeve.

"I'm thinking we find out if anyone is here, then make our way up to Timberlea." Roland clicked on the flashlight; it was dark in the mall. "You gonna take it?"

She looked at him with a shocked expression. "But that's stealing."

"I don't think the owners of this place are gonna know or even care. If they aren't already dead."

She though about this for a bit and then nodded stripping of her jacket and pulling the new one off the rack taking the tags off it. Roland took an extra second to look at her as she checked the new jacket over, she was really cute and in any other situation he might have asked her out but these were unusual circumstances and it would have to wait. Unlocking the standard issue fold up door Roland looked out into the central area of the mall, the Santa display was set up in the center and Roland had a brief mental image of Santa as one of the creatures attacking children. Shaking his head he continued to look around the mall and noticed artificial light coming from the second floor food court. Roland jumped as a small hand touched his shoulder before he realized it was Crystal now wearing her new jacket. He pointed towards the food court and motioned for her to follow him. They moved quietly as they could towards the escalators that led to the food court, as they got closer Roland found he could make out voices and smell something cooking.

Ducking down Roland turned to Crystal putting a finger to his lips as they crouched at the top of the elevator, light coming from the nearby food court. Peeking his head over the railing Roland saw two young women and two security guards sitting at a table with an electric lamp in the center of the table and a gas grill on the table next to them. They were talking rather loud and seemed to be concentrating on each other, almost as if the events happening outside the mall didn't exist. Just outside the edge of the lamplight Roland tapped the shotgun on a nearby table a smile at the corner of his mouth as all four jumped and turned to look at him and Crystal. "How's it goin'?" He asked, stepping closer.

One of the security guards spoke up. "What the hell is wrong with you, scaring people like that?" The guard was tall even sitting down; with a shaved head and jowls that told Roland he worked out but over ate.

"Sorry, my bad." Roland stepped closer getting a closer look at the other three. "Didn't think there would be anyone here. How did you guys end up here anyways?'

The other security guard who could not have been taller than Crystal spoke up now, his hair was a military buzz cut and his shirt bulged from an excessive amount of muscles. "We were working a night shift and these two showed up about three am. How did you get here?" He spoke bigger than he actually was.

"I missed the evacuation and met up with her at Superstore, now were trying to make our way to Timberlea to look for her brother." The women were short, one short and thin with blonde hair, the other just as short with dark hair and olive skin. "How did you two end up here?" Roland asked them.

The blonde spoke. "We went in the ditch not far from the mall during the evacuation and no one would stop for us so we came here. We have keys and we thought it would be safe until rescue came." Her voice was high and apologetic.

" I don't think anyone is come to get any of us, we need to head south towards Edmonton, but there's a problem." Roland looked at the grill where several chicken breasts were cooking, his mouth watered at the smell.

"Oh yah and what's that? Thought you were trying to get to Timberlea?" The shorter guards arrogance annoyed Roland and he considered hitting him with the shotgun but though better of it.

"There are hundreds of vehicles blocking the road just south of town and you need something big with four by four to get around. As for Timberlea I fail to see how that's any of your concern." Ice dripped from the last sentence as Roland's eyes focused on the shorter guard but he felt Crystal's hand on his back and relaxed.

"Well I've only got a Jeep but Rick has a jacked up Chevy diesel. We could take that." The big guard putting his hand on the shorter guards shoulder as he spoke.

"That would make it around the mess, do you mind if I borrow your Jeep?" Roland directed the conversation at the bigger guard "I'm Roland by the way."

"James. Are you sure no one is coming because we could probably hold out in the mall for quite sometime." Fear showed in the big man's eyes as he spoke.

His answer came in the form of shattering glass and a bone-chilling moan from the first floor. "No, I think we should go now." Urgency filled Roland's voice.

Everyone at the table stood up grabbing jackets and purses, James tossing Roland a set of keys and they all looked at him expectantly. "Okay, what side of the mall are you guys parked on?"

The moans were getting louder and Roland realized the monsters were directly below them. "Were parked at the other end of the mall in front of Zellers." James said zipping up his dark blue security jacket.

"Alrighty, we'll have to stick to the top floor and I suggest we hurry." Roland could hear the undead scratching at the escalator as the four moved past him heading towards the opposite end of the mall.

Clicking on his flashlight Roland shined it briefly towards the bottom of the escalator and what he saw their made him pick up his pace until he was almost running; two dozen undead were gathered at the bottom, their progress slowed by their own lack of cognitive skills and a rather obese creature that had gotten wedged in the up escalator. The others were already half way across the mall Crystal with them and Roland had to jog to catch up when something stopped him. Hanging just on the other side of the door to leather store was a black leather duster, something Roland had always wanted. Using the butt of the shotgun he smashed the plastic pane out of the door and reached in. "What the hell are you doing?" Crystal yelled at him from the door of Zellers while one of the security guards attempted to unlock it.

"Just grabbing something, I'll be there in a second." The duster came free and Roland pulled his arm out just in time to see that several of the creatures had cleared the escalator and were headed his way. He started running. "Get that door open!"

The shotgun under one arm and the duster under the other Roland reached the doors just as the lock clicked and James ushered everyone else through. Looking across the mall Roland saw that the creatures had already made it halfway to them and as he stepped through the door his heart started to pound. James stepped through the door right behind him closing and locking the big glass door. The three girls and Rick were almost to the escalators in the middle of the store by the time Roland and James were able to catch them. Stopping for a breath Roland stripped of his old jacket and pulled on the duster listening as the creatures started slamming against the big glass doors. Seeing what he had done Crystal punched him in the arm. "You risked your life for a coat!" She fumed.

"Hey! That hurt. This is a duster not a coat and I wasn't really in danger." Roland put his things into the duster's pockets and picked up the shotgun.

"As cute as your little lover's quarrel is, I really think we should get going." Rick's voice practically dripped acid.

"Agreed." Roland lead the way down the escalator Crystal behind him and James at the back.

Roland could see that the storm was easing up through the doors to the parking lot. The Jeep was parked in the center of the lot and the Chevy was of to the right near the corner of the mall. Roland realized the Jeep was actually a Jeep Compass a smaller crossover that looked like the love child of a Jeep and a sports car but it only need to make it to Timberlea so he wasn't worried. Everyone was gathered at the door now and Roland looked around at the five frightened faces in front of him, unsure of how this leadership role had been put on him. "Alright, it looks clear so the second were out the door you guys make for Rick's truck, once you're in lock the doors and you go. Head south and don't look back, good luck." Roland put his free hand out.

"You too, hope you find your brother." James shook Roland's hand and they pushed the door open.


	7. Chapter 6: I'm Sorry

Chapter 6: I'm Sorry

Roland and Crystal ran for the blue Compass, a moan came from his right and Roland concentrated harder on getting to the Jeep clicking the unlock button watching as the lights flashed. As Roland and Crystal jumped in the Compass he passed the shotgun to Crystal and turned the key. As the quiet engine purred to life Roland glanced over towards the big Chevy and saw that the others had not been so lucky. At least a hundred of the monsters had come around the corner of the mall only thirty feet from the truck, catching all four off guard. He saw James fighting the creatures with his bare hands, there was no sign of the other three and James was pulled down by five of the undead, Roland thought he could hear muffled screams as he put the Jeep in drive, several of the undead shambling towards the Jeep. "I'm sorry." Roland whispered as he pulled out of the parking lot hoping Crystal hadn't seen what happened.

Roland turned off the stereo as he turned north onto the highway shaking his head at the awful heavy metal that had been emanating from it. Lighting a smoke in an attempt to get the image of James being devoured by the creatures Roland offered one to Crystal and she accepted. "Thanks. Do you think the others made it?"

"I'm sure they did that truck had some pretty good tires, hell they're probably at the top of the hill by now." Roland lied, something that came way too easy he found.

"Yah, I suppose you're right." She didn't believe him but she wasn't going to argue.

Taking a thoughtful puff of his cigarette as they crossed the bridge Roland remembered something and took a left up towards Thickwood. "What are you doing? My brother's in Timberlea!" Panic filled Crystal's voice as she looked around worriedly.

"I need to make a stop in Thickwood, we only have one shotgun and no food. I wanna be prepared if anything happens between here and Edmonton." He flicked ash out the wind as he tried to keep the Jeep in the center of the three lanes as he maneuvered up the big hill.

"You're crazy, your gonna get us both killed by those things, why can't we get my brother first." She dropped her smoke out the window rolling it back up.

"These things are attracted to the living right? Well if your brother and his girlfriend are trapped in a house surrounded by them, do you really think I could stop them all with just a shotgun?" He flicked his smoke out the window leaving it rolled down.

She thought about what he said, knowing he was right. "Fine but where are you planning to get guns in Fort Crack?"

"Outdoor Essentials in Thickwood has guns and camping gear. It's our one stop shop." He tried to smile and forget the four people he had just watched die.

She glared at him and folded her arms. "Fine, but we better not get killed."

They drove the rest of the way up the hill in silence Roland trying to come up with a plan to get them safely to Edmonton, praying the store hadn't been looted, Crystal's brother was alive, and the Hummer still worked. Pulling into the parking lot at Outdoor Essentials he got his first bit of good news, the store appeared untouched the door and bars still in place. "Guess the evacuation didn't leave much time for looting." He mused backing up to the doors.

"Wasn't really time for anything for people in Thickwood, even less for those in Timberlea." Roland could hear the sadness in Crystal's voice, her optimism about her brother was fading.

"Well it works to our advantage, now we just need to find a way to get that door open." The door was glass with iron bars on the inside and a heavy lock, Crystal hefted the shotgun but Roland shook his head. "Won't work on this door, unless…"

He spotted a padlock on the right side of the bars; one of the twelve-gauge slugs might be able to shatter the lock, allowing them access to the store. Putting the Jeep in park and grabbing the shotgun he unloaded the two remaining shells in the magazine and filled it with four of the metal slug shells from his backpack. Cocking the shotgun Roland opened the door, the storm wasn't nearly as bad earlier he didn't have to squint as he shut the door and headed for the entrance to the sporting goods store. The shotgun's heavy slug disintegrated the glass and the lock easily and the bar's swung inwards, the store eerily quiet. Crystal was still sitting in her seat when he opened the hatch. "You gonna come help or you gonna guard the car? It's up to you." Roland said folding down the back seats.

She turned and glared at him but got out of the Jeep coming around to stand next to him while he looked around the store. "Alright genius, what are we here for?"

"Camping gear; sleeping bags, a camp stove, fire starters, glow sticks, a hatchet, that kind of stuff. We don't know what things are like south of here and I don't wanna be unprepared." Roland lifted his heavy right boot and kicked the metal handle that ran along the middle of door knocking it into the store.

"Was that necessary?" Roland began to wonder if the attitude was permanent as she stepped into the store shining the flashlight about.

"No, but it felt good. You start loading camping gear, I'll get us some guns." Roland headed straight for the back of the store where he knew the door to the backroom was.

If Roland had thought to check, he might have noticed the front door was unlocked and if he had stopped to listen he might heard the strange noise coming from the other side of the heavy wooden door. Reaching the big door Roland looked it over and decided to try the handle first, it turned and the door swung inwards. Surprised the door was unlocked Roland didn't have time to react as the creature lunged out of the dark room knocking him into a rack of hip waders. The shotgun fell out of Roland's gloved hand as every ounce of air was forced from his lungs as his attacker brought them both and the rack crashing to the ground. "Roland!" He heard Crystal scream as he did his best to keep the creatures face away from him, the duster protecting his arms from the hands clawing for his flesh. As Crystal's flashlight bounced over to where Roland wrestled with the creature he saw that it had been an old man who if not for the yellowed eyes and the chunk bitten out the spot where his should connected to his neck. Leaving one hand holding the creature's neck Roland tried to reach for the shotgun his fingertips brushing the stock to no avail.

"Hey!" Crystal yelled from just above his head and the creature looked up just in time to watch her bury a hatchet deep into it's skull.

Roland shoved the now still corpse off of himself and looked up at Crystal. "Thanks, guess I owe you one."

"I killed him." Was all she said as she reached down and helped Roland to his feet.

"I think he was already dead." Roland looked at the body laying on the ground no blood leaked from the wound in it's head.

Without warning Crystal wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug then just as suddenly pulled back and punched him in the arm. "I told you, you're gonna get yourself killed. Now be careful from now on." She walked away leaving Roland to rub his arm.

His shotgun retrieved He saw the gun room was dark so Roland searched the shelves for a lamp, finding one across from where Crystal was packing large backpacks with various camping items. Strangely the lamp came with a battery, as it blinked into bright existence Roland took a second to look at Crystal wondering about the hug she had given him. When she paused to look over at him, Roland quickly looked away and headed for the gun room stepping over the body he now realized wasn't much bigger than Crystal as he went. Now brightly lit Roland had to stop himself from drooling, the back wall was lined with all manner of rifles and shotguns, while the counter was filled with assorted handguns. Putting the lantern on the counter he jumped over and found the cabinets under the long guns were filled with all types of ammunition, there was only one problem; he could smash the glass on the counter but each of the hand guns had a trigger lock and there was a long steel cable run through each of the long guns' trigger guard.

After searching every drawer in the room Roland looked out the door at the body still laying on the floor, there was something shiny stick out of his right jeans pocket. Going around the counter and walking over to the corpse Roland leaned down reaching for the keys. "Don't take this the wrong way buddy, believe me you're not my type." He muttered as he pulled the key chain out.

"I knew you were gay." Crystals voice came from directly behind him and he straightened involuntarily.

"Ha ha very funny, weren't you just over there loading things into the Jeep?" He looked at the key chain hoping it had the ones he needed.

"I finished and since you were take so long I figured I'd come help." She held up a large red duffel bag with a maple leaf on the front.

"Alrighty well let's hurry we may not be alone forever."

It took a few tries but Roland finally found the key to the steel cable running through the long guns, he was also please to discover that the same key worked on the handgun trigger guards. Following along the line of long guns Roland grabbed two more pump-action shotguns similar to his police special, an AR15, and at the very end of the row he found an HK 43. He threw the three shotguns and the AR15 into the bag along with spare ammo and magazines for the AR15 and HK 43, the HK Roland loaded and placed two extra magazines in his pockets. Next he went through the hand guns he pulled out two 9mm Browning hi-power semiautomatics, an H&K USP, and a .44 Desert Eagle. He threw one of the Brownings and the USP into the bag along with more ammo; he guessed the bag probably weighed close to 75 pounds by now. The other Browning he loaded and cocked before presenting it to Crystal. "I don't know how to shoot, don't give me that!" She backed away as if it were a live grenade.

"It's easy, here's the safety you make sure that's off and then all you do is point it and squeeze the trigger." He pointed out the safety and she was still backing away.

"No I can't" Her hands up as if the gun were aimed her.

"Please take it, I might not always be there to protect you." Her expression changed as if he slapped her.

"Like I need you to protect me!" She snatched the gun from his palm and after insuring the safety was on placed it in her jacket pocket.

Roland just nodded and after loading the big Desert Eagle and some spare clips pocketed the gun and zipped up the bag. He had been right it did weigh quite a bit, he was thankful the Jeep wasn't far away, he'd hate to have to walk carrying the bag for a good distance. "Let's go." He said shouldering the bag, Crystal already heading towards the Jeep. She climbed into the passenger seat while Roland loaded the duffel into the hatch pulling the cargo net over the whole lot just in case. The hatch closed Roland was about to get in the driver's seat when he suddenly turned and ran back into the store his rifle bouncing against his back as he went. Scrambling around a counter opposite the gun room he started pulling open drawers until he found what he was looking for; a white box about a foot long and four inches wide. Smiling at his prize he ran back to the Jeep pulling the rifle strap over his head and putting it on the dash as he climbed in. "Where the hell did you go, I thought something was chasing you!" Apparently angry was her normal state of mind Roland thought.

"I wanted to get something." He opened the box and pulled out a long, curved hunting knife.

Crystal shook her head. "You're ridiculous you know that." Roland just smiled.


	8. Chapter 7: That Wasn't Supposed

Chapter 7: That Wasn't Supposed to Happen

Roland lit a smoke as they exited the parking lot, handing the pack to Crystal; he was running low he'd have to get more before leaving town. The storm had slowed down considerably allowing for good visibility and Roland didn't see of the creatures as they entered Timberlea. "Okay, where am I going?" Roland asked keeping his eyes peeled.

"Take a left at the Mac's up ahead." She pointed with her cigarette.

She never got a chance to finish the directions as something darted out in front of the Jeep. Without thinking Roland turned the wheel hard, the Jeep spinning sideways until the tires hit a curb buried in snow. What happened next took only a few seconds but felt like hours to Roland. He had been going faster than he should have and when the Jeep struck the curb it flipped upside down into the Mac's parking lot, sliding towards the gas pumps. Roland had forgotten to wear his seat belt and slammed hard into the roof a sharp pain coming from the left side of his face. Crystal had been wearing her seat belt and still had her head slammed against the passenger side window knocking her unconscious. Thankfully Roland had tied down the cargo so as the Jeep came to a grinding halt and his head smashed up against the windshield and every thing went black nothing in the trunk had moved.

The first thing Roland noticed when he came to was the warm blood covering the left side of his face, the second thing he noticed was the hand wrapped around his leg pulling him through the shattered driver's side window. Still dazed from the crash Roland tried to open his eyes, his left wouldn't open and he didn't know if it was still there. With his right eye he saw that Crystal was unconscious dangling from her seat belt her black hair stained red with blood on one side. Another hard tug from his leg reminded him of the big hand trying to pull him out of the Jeep. "Crystal." His voice hoarse and strained.

His legs were outside the vehicle now and Roland grabbed the steering wheel with one hand and began looking for a weapon. His HK rested against the back window and he could find no sign of the hunting knife. As his hand slipped off the steering wheel Roland remembered the Desert Eagle in his jacket pocket. Reaching the pocket on his duster Roland wrapped his hand around the big gun's grip just as the hand on his leg gave another strong tug pulling him the rest of the way out the vehicle. Blinking his right eye Roland got a good look at what had been pulling on his leg, it was a man in bright blue coveralls. Roland pulled the big gun out of his pocket amazed at how big the creature was, he must have been at least four hundred pounds. Half of the creature's face had been torn off, it's lidless eye a bright yellow. Shocked at the creature's appearance Roland squeezed the Eagle's trigger the big gun roaring and nearly bucking out of his left hand as the slug tore into the creature's chest. The big .44 tore a massive hole in the creature's chest but had almost no effect as the big man feel onto Roland almost crushing him and knocking the gun out of his hand. Teeth closed inches from Roland's face and he could smell the massive creature's rotted breath. The monster was too big for Roland to push off so he put his gloved hands on the creature's throat doing his best to keep them away from the creature's teeth. "Crystal!" His voice was back now and he looked towards the overturned Jeep.

Help came in an unexpected form as something knocked the obese creature off of him. Silently thanking whatever had saved him Roland rolled over searching the snow for the big black handgun while the creature shrieked trying to right itself. Roland's fingers closed on the gun's handle as the monster righted itself and started pushing itself up. Standing as quickly he could feeling a large amount of snow fall down his shirt Roland aimed for the monster's center mass and started firing. The big gun barked four times and four more holes materialized in the blue coveralls the creature jerking with each impact. "What the hell is going on?" Roland backed away, one bullet left in the Eagle.

A loud bark came from somewhere to his left distracting the creature giving Roland the chance to catch his bearings. Thinking back to the other two times he'd faced the creatures, it came to him; the head, he needed to aim for the head. Bringing the big gun up to bare Roland centered the sites on the monsters massive forehead and exhaled, squeezing the trigger. A hole materialized in the monsters head as it was tipped over backwards; a marionette with it's strings cut. Ejecting the spent magazine and loading a fresh one, Roland cocked the big gun and took a deep breath in an attempt to slow his heart rate. Feeling a little calmer Roland remembered the barking that had distracted the monster and walked to the back of the upside down Jeep looking around as a white and black Husky with bright blue eyes trotted up to him looking him over before pressing it's nose against his empty left hand. Smiling Roland knelt and began petting the dog. "You're a good dog, you probably saved my life. You know that? How did you end up outside in hell on earth anyways?" The dog had a collar and a tag that said her name was Eve.

"Well Eve I guess I'm lucky you were still here." He scratched the dog behind the ear and she started panting.

A sudden and ear splitting scream from the other side of the Jeep cause both Roland the dog to jump, the dog raising her back and Roland the big Desert Eagle. Stepping around the passenger side of the Jeep Roland's heart raced and adrenaline surged through his veins, one of the creatures had Crystal's arm and was biting into her exposed hand. Roland guessed the thing had only been a kid before it died, a boy of twelve or thirteen dressed in blood soaked Transformers pajamas. He looked normal except for the grey skin and a chunk of flesh torn out of his tiny neck. Roland could hear Crystal struggling in the Jeep still trapped in her seatbelt. Before he knew what he was doing he had brought the Eagle up and was aiming at the small boy's head. The creature looked up at him with a pair of yellow eyes just as he squeezed the trigger and it's head disintegrated into red mist, the small body almost buried in the snow. Crystal was still struggling with her seatbelt and moaning in pain when he opened the door, the dog standing beside him. "Well don't just stand there looking stupid! Get me outa this thing." She said looking up at him.

"Glad to see your attitude survived the crash." Roland said reaching across and unbuckling her seat belt making sure to hold her up as he did.

"Well maybe if you knew how to drive, this wouldn't have happened." She snarled and Roland seriously considered dropping her but decided against it.

"Whatever I don't care, we need to get moving and do something about your hand." He let her down on her back and stepped away letting her stand up.

"Forget my hand its nothing, what about your eye?" She adjusted her jacket, as she looked at his face her eyes staring intently.

Reaching up he realized in the excitement he'd forgotten about the injury and quickly felt around with his hand. The entire left side of his face was caked in blood and he could feel a gash that ran from the middle of his cheek through the middle of his eyebrow stopping an inch above. He couldn't feel any damage to his eye and using his fingers to pry his eyelid open he realized he still had the eye it was just completely coated in blood. "It's fine, now come on we've got to get going before more of those things start showing up." The unmistakable moan was coming from somewhere nearby and the dog started to bark.

"Whatever, where did the dog come from?" Crystal followed Roland to the back of the Jeep the dog sticking close to Roland.

"Don't know. She just saved my life though." He opened the hatch as far as it would go and pulled out the black duffel bag handing Crystal one of the Browning and retrieving his HK from the roof of the Jeep. "We've gotta move, where is your brother?"

It might have been the brighter light but Roland thought her eyes looked a little more sunken than before and her skin was getting paler. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this? Never mind, it's this way through the park."

Crystal started walking through the parking towards a row of houses and after slinging the duffel over his back Roland followed suit, the dog staying beside him every step. He found it odd the dog wouldn't go near Crystal but he didn't take her for a dog person and she didn't seem to care about the dog so he let it go. The storm was thinning out and the wind was dying down so Roland did his best to keep his guard up but he couldn't stop his mind from racing wondering about all that had happened and how it had happened so quickly. He'd gone to sleep the day before and the world had been normal and today he wakes up to find the dead up, walking around and attacking people. He was just wondering why there were so many dead people and what had caused them to rise in the first place when Crystal started running rounding a corner before he could catch up. "Shit, this chick's gonna get us all killed." He cursed looking down at Eve who just turned her head to side.


	9. Chapter 8: Death Bites

Chapter 8: Death Bites

He rounded the corner in time to see Crystal dart in a house up the street a big Hummer in the driveway, more importantly though he showed up just in time to catch the attention of the five monsters that had exited the house directly to his right. Turning their heads in unison the five; three female and two male, shrieked and started shambling towards him arms outstretched. It was at least twenty-five feet between him and the creatures and Roland brought up the HK aiming at the creature on the far left a male, well built and also completely naked. A little stunned at the creature's lack of clothes Roland took and extra second to sight it's forehead and squeeze the trigger. The creatures were only twenty feet away and Roland quickly dispatched the next three leaving only one female, she was naked as well and at ten feet Roland recognized her as one of his ex girlfriends. Letting go of the HK Roland pulled the Desert Eagle out his pocket; the big black gun glistening. "I'll see you in hell, bitch." His face expressionless Roland squeezed the trigger and watched as her face disintegrated only five feet from him.

Roland was about to go after Crystal when something stopped him; a big black Dodge Ram sat in the driveway of the house the creatures and he was pretty sure he knew who owned it. The dog surprisingly had stayed beside him the entire time and even now followed him as he headed to the house. "Hello, is anyone here?" He called out receiving no reply as he stepped through the doorway and looked around the house. It split upstairs and downstairs at the entranceway, the basement looking dark and ominous while the upstairs was brightly lit and open.

"I've seen this movie." Roland said heading upstairs the Desert Eagle leading the way and the dog right behind him.

Reaching the top of the stairs Roland looked left into the living room; there was a big screen TV, a recliner, and couch. The couch had a bloodstain on one of the cushions and a first aid kit sat on the coffee table. Eve started growling and Roland spun around just as the creature that used to be his friend's boyfriend lunging towards him like a wild animal. It happened too fast for Roland to register as his arm brought the Desert Eagle up and squeezed the trigger, the big gun roaring twice. The first round tore through it's shoulder, the second up and through it's neck severing it. The two brass cartridges clinking down the stairwell as the creature's head and body squished to the floor, the disembodied head still chomping it's teeth. Disgusted Roland stomped down hard with his right boot the shattering bones giving a resounding crack. As the ringing in his ears ceased Roland became aware of a quite sobbing coming from down the hallway where one of the white doors was damaged, the paint scratched away in places and indentations in others. Stepping over the body that now filled the hallway his boot making a disgusting noise every step he knocked on the door. "Are you okay?"

The door flung open and Emily's skinny arms wrapped around Roland's chest. Caught off guard put his arms around the skinny girl, her red hair tickling his neck as she sobbed into his shoulder. Feeling Emily put more weight on him, Roland slid the both of them slowly to the floor until they were both sitting; Eve nuzzled up against Emily's side with a soft whimper as the girl continued to sob. "Emily, Emily, I need you to tell me what happened." He lifted her away looking into her large blue eyes.

Emily took a deep breath and steadied herself. "We were at the bar last night waiting for a cab when some crazy guy bit Jeff. Jeff managed to push him off and we drove home, I tried to bandage his arm but the bleeding wouldn't stop and he refused to go to the hospital." She stood up her eyes deliberately looking away from the corpse on the floor. "I thought he was just sleeping but then he stood up and his eyes were all yellow and he tried to attack me so I hid in the bathroom."

Roland wiped her cheeks and looked down realizing she was only wearing a pair of booty shorts and a tank top. "It's over now Emily but I need you to get dressed, we have to go."

She nodded and went into the bedroom coming out five minutes later in jeans, a hoody, and leather jacket. Roland had moved the body; head and all into the kitchen and out of the hallway. Pulling the other Browning out of the duffel bag he handed it to Emily while explaining his theory on the creatures. Suddenly the biggest problem he'd had was solved, the bites, that was how there were so many dead people and how it was transmitted whatever it was. "We gotta go!" He said and all three of them rushed out the door.

"Wait, shouldn't we take my truck." Emily was more herself now, strong and smart.

"Actually we're gonna take the Hummer down the street, that's where we're going now." He was moving at a quick jog now.

"If you say so, what happened to your eye?" He knew she was skeptical of his plan; Emily was usually skeptical of anything Roland came up with.

"I may have rolled a Jeep, while not wearing my seatbelt, while carrying a knife in my lap. Anyways the eye is fine, face is another story." Emily nodded at that not at all surprised.

They reached the house with the Hummer and found the door locked. "I don't have time for this." Roland raised his right boot.

The door came off its hinges and fell into the house with a large crash. A trail of blood led up short stairs to the first floor and Roland pulled out his Desert Eagle and flipped off the safety as he went up the stairs. Emily and Eve followed close behind as Roland made his way towards the bedroom following the trail of blood drops. He could smell her before he saw them, that smell of rotted flesh he was getting so used to. Eve bared her teeth and started growling as they reached the door. Roland pushed open the bedroom door and looked in. There were three people in the room; Crystal, a tall, thin guy and a shorter girl who was a little bigger than the rest. Crystal was sitting on the floor against the wall, her skin a patchy grey and her eyes yellowed at the corners, the other girl was wrapping a bandage around Crystal's hand and the guy was facing the door, the Browning in his hand. "Who the hell are you?" Assuming he was Crystal's brother Roland figured a bad attitude ran in the family.

"His name is Roland, he found me downtown and brought me here to get you." Crystal's voice was weak and Eve started barking as soon as she spoke.

Roland grabbed the dog by the collar and pulled her out of the room. "Crystal I have to tell you something, it's the bites that turn you into one of them."

"I kinda figured that." She smiled sadly looking at her hand.

"You know what you're going to become. What do you want to do about it?" Roland hefted the Eagle.

"Nothing! She's not sick, there's nothing wrong with her! You put that away!" Her brother had moved between them and was aiming the Browning at Roland's head.

"Cory, don't…" Crystal tried weakly to stand.

"Crystal don't move, this guy is crazy." Cory took a step towards the door keeping himself between Roland and Crystal.

"I'm not crazy you idiot, she is going to become on of those things and then she is going to attack you." Roland took another into the room closing the distance between himself and the taller man.

"No, she isn't! She's gonna be fine!" His anger was almost palpable and Roland saw the knuckle on his index finger whiten. Without thinking Roland swung his left arm up knocking the Browning from Cory's finger while simultaneously using the Desert Eagle to backhand the other man knocking him to the ground.

"Fine, you wanna die go right ahead. You're not my problem but she will turn and she will try to kill you." Roland turned to leave the room leaving the taller man on the floor his right cheek red and eyes filled with hate. "Eve come. Emily are you coming?"

Emily looked at the three in the room then to Roland's retreating back his quick pace causing his long jacket to fly out behind him before running after him. "Guess we'll be needing your truck after all Emily." Roland said as she caught up to him. Once outside Roland saw that the storm was almost finished with only a few light flakes left. Stopping at the sidewalk Roland turned and looked longingly at the Hummer; it was royal blue with oversized tires, a large black bush bar, and a light rack on the roof. Shaking his head he turned and headed down the street following Emily to her truck.


	10. Chapter 9: Southbound and Down

Chapter 9: Southbound and Down

Emily had the truck running by the time Roland and Eve got there and was sweeping the snow off. Using his sleeve to brush the snow off the passenger side Roland threw the heavy duffel bag in the back seat breathing a sigh of relief to be free of it before helping the dog into the truck and throwing the HK onto the center console. He climbed into the passenger seat just as Emily finished sweeping the truck and flipped down the passenger side vanity mirror. The entire left side of his face was coated in thick gooey blood making it impossible to open his eye and the four-inch gash already starting to heal. Shutting the mirror as Emily pulled her door shut Roland turned to look at her with his still functioning right eye and she looked back at him. "You look like shit Roland, anyways where are we going." She buckled her seatbelt and cranked the heat.

"Thanks, you too. We should head to Edmonton but we need to stop by the Mac's store first." He smiled and pulled of his leather gloves putting his hands over the heat.

"Why? What's at the Mac's?" She buckled her seatbelt and put the truck in drive.

Buckling his own seatbelt Roland took his crumpled cigarette pack out of his pocket and looked at the two cigarettes. "I need to pick up a few things." He lit one of the cigarettes and Emily lit one of her own.

They pulled into the parking lot and Roland had Emily park next to the overturned Jeep. "Nice job." She said stopping with the Jeep on the passenger side. The storm was getting bad again with heavy, wet snow starting to coat the windshield. Roland exited the truck telling Eve to stay and started moving the camping gear into the box of Emily's truck, she joined him shortly afterwards and they had all the gear transferred in only a few minutes. Shutting the tailgate Roland turned to Emily. "Wait here, I just have to run in the store for a few seconds I'll be right back."

"What could you possibly need from there that we don't already have?" Emily asked a little incredulous.

"Just need to use the facilities." Roland said starting towards the store.

Inside the darkened store Roland took a careful look around and listened for any movement, there wasn't any so he moved quickly towards the washroom. His business done he went to leave the store but the black sheets covering the cigarette displays reminded him he was almost out. He was almost to the counter when he heard the chewing sounds and recognized the scent of something dead. Backing away slowly Roland reached for the Desert Eagle in his coat pocket as he bumped into a display knocking it over with what sounded like an ear shattering crash. Almost instantly the chewing stopped and the all too familiar growl pierced the silence as the thing jumped up from behind the counter it's yellow eyes boring into him. It had been a young girl before it died probably only thirteen or fourteen. She was dressed in a miniskirt and an overly tight t-shirt. Blood dripped from her tiny chin and blond hair as she opened her mouth and growled before lunging towards Roland.

She crossed the short distance between them quickly and Roland found the Eagle was caught on something in his pocket. Letting go of the gun he lifted his hands realizing he wasn't wearing gloves and grabbing the girl by her midsection before her arms could reach him and throwing her away from himself. She weighed less than one hundred pounds and Roland had tossed her fairly hard slamming her against a wall. She hit the ground with a light thump and hopped up to her feet charging at him with surprising speed. Giving up on his gun Roland waited until she was close and side stepped grabbing her by the neck and giving a quick twist. Her neck snapped instantly and her tiny body crumpled to the floor the head still moving and snapping its teeth. Roland started down at the creature; he knew it had been a girl the day before with dreams and hopes now it was a monster that desired human flesh with no trace of its former life remaining. Roland was about to bring his heavy boot down on the tiny blonde head when he stopped. "I've killed enough today."

Gathering up two cartons of his preferred brand of cigarettes and the entire display of Bic lighters Roland left the store in a hurry; the creature's moans and snarls following him out the door. Climbing into the truck trying to keep his sadness from showing Roland shut the door and buckled his seatbelt doing his best not to look at Emily. "What took so long?" she asked.

"Long lineup." He tried to joke. "Let's go."

"If you say so." She said shifting the truck into drive and heading back onto the street for the highway.

The storm had gotten pretty bad limiting visibility to just past the hood and Emily had the wipers on the highest setting. Roland attempted to make conversation but the events of the day weighed heavily on his mind and Emily eventually turned on the stereo as they reached the city limits. Trying to focus on the music Roland found his mind constantly drifting back to the faces of everyone he had killed or let die since waking up that morning; the homeless woman, James and the others from the mall, the old man at the sporting goods store, the big guy in coveralls, the kid, his ex, Emily's boyfriend, and now Crystal. Looking at the truck's clock Roland saw it was only 1:30 PM but he felt as though he had been awake for days. His eyes closed and he felt darkness take him, the faces of the dead burned into his eyelids like a silent movie.

He awoke to Emily shaking him two hours later. "Roland wake up!" Startled he woke up and looked around reaching for the Eagle resting in his lap. They were stopped at a gas station in Wandering River, the snow still falling heavily and it was quickly becoming dark. Roland could see the lights were still on inside and the store was empty. "We need gas, you run in and activate the pump and I'll fill up the truck."

Roland nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt blinking his right eye attempting to clear the fog from his vision; his left eye was now crusted shut and would need to be cleaned soon. Once outside the vehicle he let Eve out of the backseat and flipped off the safety on his Desert Eagle. "Eve stay with Emily." He could have sworn the big husky nodded when he said that. Heading for the store Roland made sure to listen carefully and look around with every step through the knee-deep snow. Once inside the store he shook the snow off his shoulders and listened for anything, the Desert Eagle raised just in case. The controls for the gas pump started beeping just as he decided the store was completely empty taking a deep breath through his nose just to be sure. Roland had worked at a gas station a few years back so he found it fairly easy to activate the pump and he watched the numbers climb. Looking around the store Roland saw a first aid kid against the back wall and decided to grab it tucking it under his left arm as he exited the store the icy wind biting into his face as the door opened. Roland started back towards the truck the Eagle in his right hand, first aid kit in his left. He saw Emily had finished filling up and was shooing Eve back into the truck. Without his left eye Roland found his vision very limited and being accustomed to having to eyes he didn't look around to check his left side, so he didn't notice the creature until it was almost on top of him.

A moan reached his left ear and Roland turned quickly bring up his right arm and the massive gun it held squeezing the trigger as soon as it was level with the thing's head. Not wanting another face on his conscience Roland turned quickly back towards the truck and ran as best he could through the deep snow the sound of dozens of moans carried to his ears on the wind. One of the creatures came around the back of the truck catching Emily off guard and knocking her over backwards. Still running Roland aimed and watched as a corpse with only half its head collapsed to the ground. Emily was just standing up as he reached the passenger door and pulled it open the first aid kit leaving his hands as soon as the door was fully open. "Come on, Emily, get in this side." He climbed over the seats to the driver's side Emily following close behind, pulling the door shut behind her.

"Are you sure you should be driving with one eye?" She asked buckling up her seatbelt.

Roland started the truck and put it in drive while simultaneously. "Guess we'll find out but it's better than staying here." He could make out a large group of people through the rearview mirror and he slammed his foot down on the gas a cloud of snow kicking up behind the truck obstructing his view.

Roland lit a cigarette and took a long drag before turning down Emily's hard rock music, he had music on his cell phone and he reached into the pocket it had been in when he left the mall. It was empty and he frantically checked all his pockets and coming up empty, he thought back to the last time he'd seen the phone when he had taken it out of his old jacket and put it in the duster. He was trying to think of when it could have fallen out when he remembered the fight with the big creature it must have fallen out when he was knocked to the ground. "Damn." He swore quietly.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked tossing her cigarette out the window.

"I lost my phone." He took one last drag of his cigarette and dropped it out the window.

"Shitty." She leaned her seat back and closed her eyes, falling asleep instantly.

Roland drove the rest of the way listening to the sound of Emily and Eve's breathing. The storm showed no signs of slowing and there were no other vehicles on the road with the exception of the occasional one in a ditch or left at a gas station. Just north of Gibbons Roland saw bright headlights at the bottom of a hill and he tapped Emily to wake her up before moving the Desert Eagle into on of the duster's deep pockets. "Huh? What's going on?" Emily said in a deep sleep daze.

"There's a roadblock ahead." Roland's eye narrowed as he made out the dark green of military vehicles.


	11. Chapter 10: All That You Can Be

**Chapter 10: All That You Can Be**

Roland moved the HK to the backseat and told Emily to put the Browning in the glove compartment as he slowed a stop directly in front of the concrete barriers, the bright lights blinding his one eye. A soldier in a balaclava and helmet approached the truck his FAL with tactical light held at the ready. Shielding his eye Roland rolled down the window and looked at the soldier reading the name "Martin" on his body armor. "Good evening, private." Roland said eyeing the patch on the soldier's jacket.

"I'm gonna need you and the little lady to step out of the vehicle!" The soldier said aiming his rifle at Roland's face.

"Not a problem, come on Emily let's do what he says." Roland climbed out the vehicle his hands up as two more soldiers walked up with plastic riot cuffs in their hands.

"You, come around the vehicle." The soldier kept his weapon trained on Roland as Emily walked around to the driver's side.

Roland and Emily were both handcuffed by the soldiers and told to stand near the hood. The soldiers started searching the truck from back to front and when they reached the back door Eve started barking and attacking the window. "Hey Sarge, what do we do about the dog?" Private Martin called out.

"Shoot it, we don't need it." A tall soldier with "Hosky" on his armor said.

Roland pulled the Desert Eagle from his pocket and aimed it at the Sergeant's head. "If he pulls the trigger so do I!"

"Stand down Martin, we'll let the kid keep his dog." He turned to Roland. "That's a pretty big gun kid, think you can use it?"

"I've used it plen…" He was cut off as the butt of the Sergeant's rifle slammed into the Kevlar vest he'd forgotten he was wearing knocking the wind out of him and dropping him to the ground.

"Let the dog go Martin, kid's willing to kill for it and we're not supposed to kill people." The Sergeant kicked the gun out of Roland's hand and another dragged him to his feet.

Roland did his best to whistle as a soldier opened the door and Eve hopped through the snow and sat down at his feet. "Got a hell of an arsenal here and a shitload of camping supplies here Sarge." Martin said.

"What a boy scout, luckily the army is here to keep them safe." Hosky laughed and picked up Roland's Desert Eagle.

Roland and Emily were thrown in the back of a Coyote APC, Eve jumping in right behind them and driven to the Edmonton Garrison where they were both given thorough medical examinations. The doctors took the time to clean and bandage Roland's eye, offering to stitch up the gash, which Roland declined. "The scar will a nice reminder." Was all he said. His wounds fixed he was given an opportunity to shower and change his clothes, declining the army greens for his own jeans and hoody. He noticed he was always under an armed guard and as soon as he finished eating his first meal of the day Roland found himself unceremoniously tossed into a holding cell along with Eve. "Hey what happened to my friend?" He yelled to the guard down the hallway.

"She's being housed elsewhere." Came the disinterested reply.

"Elsewhere? Where the hell is elsewhere?"

"It's elsewhere now shut the hell up." The guard turned his back on Roland and back to a news broadcast from somewhere reporting mass riots.

"Douche bag." Roland muttered sitting down on one of the cots that sat along the cell wall.

To tired to care anymore Roland collapsed on the cot, Eve coming over and laying down next to it. He looked at his watch before his eyes shut the doctors having given him the use of his left eye again seeing it was just before midnight. He closed his eyes and the world slipped away replaced by nightmares filled with monsters and snow. A commotion outside his cell brought Roland back to the real world a few hours later, as two soldiers tossed someone else into the cell. "What did you do with my sister and girlfriend?" A vaguely familiar voice screamed.

"Your sister has been quarantined and your girlfriend is elsewhere now shut up and sit down!" The guard yelled back.

"Why is she in quarantine?" Cory's voice rose in pitch and volume.

"Just because you yell doesn't mean they are going to tell you." Roland's eyes were still closed and he opened them looking at the taller man.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Cory directed his anger at Roland now.

"Oh you know, I had some extra vacation time and I thought a military prison during the apocalypse would be a good place to spend it." Roland sat up and gave Eve a pat on the head. "I was arrested just like you idiot and they have my friend too. Now sit down you're not doing any good getting all worked up like that."

Defeated and apparently drained Cory sat down on the farthest cot from Roland and turned his back towards him. Roland used the short silence to listen the news coming from the TV; there were riots all over the world now and the anchorwoman was advising everyone to stay in the homes with the doors locked. It was twenty-four hours since he had been arrested when Roland felt the explosion and he sat straight up pressing his ear against the wall. He could hear sporadic gunfire coming from the other side and it wasn't long until the guard's radio crackled to life. "Shit they're everywhere, were being overrun!" A panicked voice shrieked

"There's too many of them, and weapons fire is ineffective." Another voice.

"This is Colonel Stonedecker, I am ordering a full retreat, evacuate the base. I repeat evacuate and good luck to you all." A deep commanding voice now.

The guard got up grabbing his rifle and headed for the door. "Come on man, you can't just leave us her to die." Roland called after him.

"Damn." The guard cursed before turning around and pressing the emergency unlock button for the cell doors. "You're on your own now, good luck."

"Wait, where's my sister and our friends?" Cory asked a look of worry covering his face.

"Your sister is in quarantine on the other side of the base but I wouldn't go there. As for your friends they are in barracks Charlie." The guard rushed out the door and was gone.

Roland quickly began looking around for a weapon, finding nothing he looked to where Cory still stood in the cell doorway. "Are you comin' or what?"

"Where are we gonna go, the base is under attack and the news said Edmonton is considered lost."

"Right now anywhere but here sounds good to me, and I think we should find barracks Charlie." Roland headed towards the door.

"What about my sister?" Cory took a tentative step out of the cell.

"You heard the guard. We don't want to go there, now let's get going, Eve come here." The dog came trotting out of the cell and Cory followed close behind as Roland pushed the door open.


	12. Chapter 11: All Hell Broke Loose

**Chapter 11: All Hell Broke Loose**

The base was a war zone with buildings burning, sporadic gunfire, bodies everywhere, some still, others moving, and one sound that caught Roland's attention immediately; the sound of a helicopter starting up. The snow had stopped during his time in the cell and he could clearly see the massive green Chinook helicopter warming up, he also saw the two soldiers half dragging, half carrying Emily and Cory's girlfriend towards the open loading ramp. It was at least five hundred meters from where Roland was standing to the helicopter and he could hear Emily screaming at the soldier who had lifted her up on to his shoulder as she pounded on the armor covering his back. "Let me go! Where's my friend? Where are we goin'?"

"Emily!" Roland yelled as he started running across the snow-covered cement, tripping over what he hoped weren't bodies as he went.

"Roland!" He heard her hopeful scream as the ramp was raised and the helicopter lifted off covering Roland in a miniature blizzard.

Collapsing to his knees Roland watched the helicopter lift off into the night sky and quickly disappear to the east. Lowering his head, he could feel his eyes grow warm and moist as he realized the only person he knew in a world gone mad was gone and he didn't know if he'd ever see her again. He felt Cory's hand on his shoulder, the other man's words muted as if in a dream, felt Eve's muzzle push against his hand but he never moved. Roland had lost all will to go on and he didn't care if he died there on that spot, everything he had been through, everyone he had tried to save, it had all been for nothing. Cory's hand began shaking him violently and Eve began barking and suddenly a sound he had come to despise pierced through his self-pity like a full metal jacket slug and something changed in Roland. It was like a fire that was smoldering in his chest suddenly blazed to life, fanned by the moan of one of the undead making it's way towards the easy prey slumped on the ground. Blinking to clear the tears that clouded vision he found the world coming back into sharp clarity. Eve's loud barking, the moan of the creatures and Cory's panicked shouts. "Come on dude, get up we gotta get out of here!"

Something black was half buried in the snow a few inches from Roland's right hand and as he wrapped his hand around the cold steel grip of the Browning Nine Mil a new resolve cemented itself into Roland's head. The girl's weren't dead, his family might still be alive and he was going to be damned if he was going to let anyone else down! Rising from his pity party like a phoenix from the ashes Roland stared at the trio of creatures making their way slowly across the snow towards him. The only light on the base was from the various fires burning throughout the flickering lights playing over Roland's gaunt features and making his green eyes blaze. Bringing the Browning up he sighted the first creatures forehead and squeezed the trigger, repeating with the second and then the third, a bullet punching a hole in the head of the last one as the first finished falling. Cory was staring in amazement when Roland turned around to look at him. "Holy shit, dude. That was bad ass."

Roland looked at the three fallen corpses then back to Cory. "Come on we need to get out of this base before their friends arrive, any idea where the vehicle pool might be?"

Cory pointed to a hangar style building that was completely engulfed in flames. "I'm guessing that was it."

"Looks like were walking, there's a dealership not far south of here and if were lucky it won't have been destroyed." Roland slid the clip out of the Browning seeing he had six bullets left. "Maybe we can stop by an armory on our way out of here."

The base was basically deserted except for the dead bodies and it took a while to find the armory, a wicked smile crossing Roland's face as he shot off the lock and kicked in the door. The armory had been basically untouched by the devastation that had torn apart most of the base; only a few bullet holes in the walls and a shattered window but the weapons had remained untouched. A row of military backpacks on hangars hung by the door and Roland grabbed one with an ill concealed smile as he looked at the rows upon rows of weaponry. Roland looked down at his watch it was December 24. "Last minute Christmas shopping Cory, everything must go."

Cory raised an eyebrow. "Dude, what happened? Five minutes ago I couldn't get you to move, then you go all Matrix now you're making jokes?"

Roland smiled, his oversized canines glinting in the dim light. "We're not gonna abandon the girls but first we need to get out of this base before it's overrun."

"Overrun?" Cory had grabbed his own backpack.

"Think about it, everyone of those monsters from here to Fort Mac is probably on their way here and we've seen this is not a good place to be so we should load up and head for the city." Roland grabbed several spare magazines for the Browning as he spoke.

"What about the girl's how are we gonna find them? That helicopter is long gone by now.' Cory had wandered down a row of assault rifles and pulled and FAL from one of the racks.

"After the majority of the horde passes well come back and check the command bunker for any hint on where Colonel Stonedecker may taken them. SWEET!" Roland had spied something he always wanted at the end of a row of submachine guns; a P90 PDW with red dot sight, tactical light, and laser sight already attached.

Startled by Roland's outburst Cory raised the FAL to his shoulder looking around. "What?"

"Sorry, just found something incredibly sexy." There was a box of full magazines and a shoulder strap on a shelf beneath the P90.

"You scared the shit outa me dude." Cory began throwing ammo for the FAL into his backpack.

Roland also grabbed a C14 Timberwolf sniper rifle, a second Browning Nine Mil, and a combat knife. After he realized he had too much to carry Roland found the solution against the back wall; there were several black combat vests and a pair of thigh holsters. Once he had all he gear distributed between the holsters, vest, and backpack Roland glanced over to where Cory was staring into an open crate. Cory was carrying a Browning Nine Mil and the FAL his backpack sagging from the magazines filling it. Walking over to the crate Roland saw what Cory had been staring at; it was filled with two dozen fragmentation grenades. Roland's smile grew as he reached into the box and hefted one of the grenades; it felt good in his hand. "Grab as many as you can and let's get moving."

"Are you serious?" Cory said looking at the pear sized explosive in Roland's hand.

"Deathly." Roland hooked the grenade onto his vest and reached into the box again taking five more.

In the end the each took six of the grenades and as they were getting ready to leave Roland saw a fifty-caliber machine gun propped against a far wall. "I'll be back for you." He whispered.

"What was that?" Cory asked.

"Nothing, let's get going."


	13. Chapter 12: City of Champions

**Chapter 12: City of Champions**

They left the base in the direction of the city and Roland wished he had a cigarette; his had been confiscated along with the rest of his belongings by the soldiers that had arrested him. The storm was over but with no one around to clear the two feet of snow left behind it was slow going as they walked along the highway towards the brightly lit city. Roland wondered why the power was still on here but not in Fort Mac as he trudged through the deep wet snow his duster dragging behind him and Eve hopping to keep from being buried; the wind had died down and he guessed it must be only five degrees below zero. He listened carefully as they walked, trying to hear the tell-a-tale moan of the undead sensing a meal but the world was quiet. No vehicles and no people to drive them, the only sounds were his, Eve, and Cory's march towards the city. Cory jogged a few steps until he was keeping pace beside Roland. "So I got a question."

"Oh and what's that?" It had been at least a day and a half since Roland's last cigarette and the cravings were getting to him.

"How come we didn't see more of those things at the base and why aren't there any behind us?"

"Same reason there isn't any tire tracks in the snow, whatever direction the army bugged out in, it wasn't this one." Roland could see the big green sign of a 7-11 in the distance.

"Makes sense, so where in Edmonton are we going?"

"Well first we're gonna stop at that 7-11. After that there's a car dealership not far from there where we are gonna get transportation. Once we have wheel's were gonna find somewhere to hide for the night and in the morning I need to try and find my sister then we'll head to West Ed." Roland looked to the city lights when as he said sister worrying crossing his tired face.

"Dude I'm sorry."

Roland came back to reality at the other man's words. "Don't be it's not your fault, it's not anyone's fault. After all I always wanted something like this to happen." Roland fingered the P90 as he kept he gaze on the ground.

"What do you mean "always wanted something like this"?" Cory's features hardened.

"I sucked at life Cory I was in debt, I hated my job, I hated my life and nothing ever seemed to work out. So I started hoping for the end of society all so I wouldn't have to pay bills or face the girl that rejected me again."

"Everyone has a shitty life but you can't honestly tell me that your friends and family dying at the hands of those monsters is better than what you had before. Can you?"

Roland looked towards the city. "I'm not sure."

Cory just shook his head and the conversation ended as they continued their trek towards the city. They reached the 7-11 and Roland used the scope on his rifle to look inside from a safe distance. Nothing moved and the store appeared empty so the two men and the dog continued towards the front door their ears listening for anything. "Dude, why are we even here?" Cory asked looking around his face nervous.

"I need something to drink and a pack of cigarettes, I haven't had a smoke in almost two days." Roland pulled open the door a blast of warm air hitting him in the face.

"You're gonna risk our lives for a pack of cigarettes?" Cory's voice went up an octave as he asked.

"You say that like it's the craziest thing I've done, have you looked at my face lately?" Roland stepped into the store inhaling through his nose.

"Guess not." Cory followed Roland into the store his rifle at the ready.

Keeping a close eye on Eve Roland went straight to the counter tearing open a pack of his cigarettes and lighting one taking a long inhale, a sigh escaping his lips with the smoke. Cory looked up from a magazine rack he had been looking at and shook his head but said nothing. Filling his pockets with two more packs of smokes Roland grabbed two of the expensive torches from behind the counter before moving to the cooler on the opposite side of the store. Following along the glass doors until he found what he was looking for pulling the door open and grabbing a Vitamin Water. Popping the lid the lid off he took a big drink savoring the taste. "Hey, Cory you know what's great about the apocalypse?"

"Uh, nothing?"

"Your such a pessimist, it's not having to pay for anything." Roland shoved a few bottle of Vitamin Water into his backpack and headed for the door. "You comin'?"

Cory followed Roland out of the store Eve leading the way as they continued down the street towards the dealership. About three hundred feet from the store Eve started barking at a nearby fence and Roland heard moans coming from the other side. Before he could open his mouth to say anything the fence collapsed and dozens of the creatures spilled out into the snow less than fifty feet from where the trio was standing. Roland dropped his cigarette and brought up the P90 clicking on the laser sight as he flipped the selector to single fire and aim for the nearest creature. Cory had also brought his rifle up and they both began firing into the crowd. Both weapons clicked dry at the same time and Roland realized they had barely made a dent in the amount of creatures they were facing. "To hell with this, there's too many let's get out of here!"

"Couldn't agree more, what are you gonna do about them following us?" Cory replaced the magazine in his FAL with a fresh one.

Roland pulled on the grenades off his vest and smiled. "A little distraction should do the trick."

Cory nodded and brought out one of his own grenades. "How far away do you think we should be?"

"How far can you throw?" Roland pulled the pin on his grenade, keeping the handle pressed down.

Cory pulled the pin on his grenade and they tossed both into the middle of the mob taking of running the second the grenades were air born. Roland had seen explosions in movies and had spent the better part of two days listening to gunfire but he was not prepared for the noise of two grenades going of in close proximity. They had put at least sixty feet between themselves and the creatures by the time the grenades detonated, the explosion causing both of them to dive into the soft snow. Roland turned back to see the monsters continuing to advance seemingly unaware of the explosion that had happened so close to them. "Awe hell, come on get up its about a kilometer to the dealership and we got some running to do."

"Right behind you." Cory was up and running, Roland working to keep up.

The two men kept a good pace and the slow moving creatures quickly fell behind until they were completely out of sight, the bone chilling moan a constant reminder that they weren't far behind. They were running through a strip mall parking lot when the neon sign for the Dodge dealership came into view and Roland quickened his pace. "Home stretch now, buddy!" His excitement barely contained.

Roland reached the dealership ahead of Cory and went straight to the showroom smashing the glass door with his P90. Once inside Roland looked around he eyes moving instantly to a cherry red Dodge Ram SRT10. Cory came up behind him panting. "You know for a smoker you move pretty fast."

"I want it." Roland walked up to the truck and checked the ignition completely unaware of the other man.

"What?" Cory rested his hands on his knees attempting to catch his breath.

"Gotta find the keys." Roland muttered to himself leaving the truck and searching the nearby offices.

Cory just shook his head as Roland went through every office looking for the keys and Eve flopped down beside the truck almost seeming to know she was going for a ride soon. Roland continued searching the offices all his attention turned to finding the keys for the truck so he didn't notice that tapping on the big glass windows. Eve began barking at the windows drawing Cory's attention the glass wall where dozens of shapes were pressing themselves up against the glass the weight making the thick glass groan. "Uh, Roland you might wanna hurry up."

Roland looked up from the key rack he had been sorting through. "Why? What's… Oh shit." His eyes locked on the mob pressing against the glass.

"Faster would be better!" Cory took a step back as crack began materializing in the big glass sheets.

"I'm trying! There's a lot of freaken keys. Got it!" Roland pressed the unlock button on the key fob and the SRT's lights blazed into existence. "Let's go!"

"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Cory jumped in the passenger seat and tossed his backpack in the back.

"Come on Eve." Roland let the dog in the truck and threw his backpack next to Cory's before hopping into the driver's seat.

"How are you planning to get out of the showroom?" Cory buckled his seatbelt as the truck's Viper engine roared to life.

"Over, under, around or through." Roland smiled as he put the truck in drive.

The glass wall shattered in the next instant and Roland flipped the P90's fire selector to full auto and fired a spray of high caliber rounds into the stumbling horde. Stomping the accelerator to the floor Roland let out a crazed laugh as the sound of exhaust and squealing tires filled the showroom drowning out the moans of the undead. Cory gripped the door handle hard as the big truck smashed through the glass wall ahead of it and bounced towards the street quickly leaving the monsters behind.

"So, where are we going?" Cory had relaxed his grip and Roland was light another cigarette the P90 resting on the center.

"Somewhere safe, where those things can't get at us." Almost as soon as Roland finished speaking he saw the street lights start to dim and flicker.

Block by block the power flickered and died until the entire city was dark the only light coming from Roland's truck as he drove down the deserted streets keeping his eyes open for any movement. Cory had taken to staring out the passenger window at the dark buildings a testament to how quickly humanity's greatest achievements could be reduced to empty ideals. Eve had fallen asleep on the back seat emitting on the occasional whimper or kick of her leg. They reached the Yellowhead Trail and Roland found he had to slow down and maneuver around the abandoned vehicles as he wondered what had become of the previous occupants. The news had said that Edmonton had been lost and all major arteries were clogged with vehicles and people attempting to escape whatever was happening. Pure white snow had covered the vehicles and ground around them but Roland guessed there was quite a bit of blood staining the vehicles and the ground around them.


	14. Chapter 13: How High

**Chapter 13: How High**

They entered the downtown core and Roland saw something that instantly caught his attention, a dim light from the top floor of a high-rise apartment building. Slowing to a stop in front of the buildings entrance Roland shut off the truck and looked up towards the single square of light so high above the street. Shutting off the truck Roland opened his door. "Come on let's go."

"Go where?" Cory removed his seatbelt.

"To see whose still home." Roland pointed up and Cory craned his neck to look at the tiny window.

Grabbing their gear as Eve hopped out of the truck the two men headed towards the dark building. A honk from the truck made Cory jump as Roland locked the doors, the taller man turning to glare at him Roland just shrugged his shoulders. Once inside the building Roland shot the lock off the entry door, the gunshot deafening inside the cramped entryway. Once inside Roland looked longingly at the elevator as Cory headed for the stairwell pushing the door open and looking up. Eighteen floors Roland thought as he walked to the stairwell shaking his head. It had been dark in the lobby only cloud covered moonlight for illumination but in the windowless stairwell it was darker than anything Roland had ever known. "Shit it's dark in here." Roland flicked on his taclight and looked up. "Well, this sucks. Might as well get goin'."

"You're telling me." Cory clicked on his flashlight and the trio started up the stairs.

The stairwell was warm and the winter clothes Roland was wearing just made it worse as he trudged up the stairs his boot steps echoing up and down the concrete square he found him self trapped in. After nine floors Roland sat down breathing heavily the sniper rifle's barrel knocking against the metal railing with a clang. " I gotta stop, I'm way to out of shape for this shit." Roland began digging in his pack for a drink.

Cory took a seat next to Roland his breathing labored. "You're telling me."

Eve came up to Roland panting and he tipped the wide mouthed water bottle towards her mouth letting her take a drink. When he was sure both his and the dog's thirst was quenched Roland pulled out a cigarette and lit it smiling as he did. "Dude, you know that shit is bad for you." Cory was resting against the wall his eyes closed.

"I do, and I kept meaning to quit. Even did a few times for a little while, but I think there are bigger problems right now." Roland reached through the railing and flicked the ash off his smoke watching as it floated down seemingly forever.

Cory just shook his head and stood up stretching his back. Following suit Roland got to his feet and looked up frowning before he dropped the cigarette down the stairwell.

They reached the top floor and Roland sighed in relief as the entrance came into view. Looking at the Cory Roland raised a single finger to his lips and the motioned for the taller man to follow him. Roland pulled the door towards himself as quietly as possible, the squeak of the hinges seeming deafening in the dark stairwell. Ushering through the dog and the taller man Roland followed behind shutting the door with only a whisper of weather stripping.

The two men and the dog moved quickly down the hallway towards a thin line of light peeking out from under one of the doors. Roland could hear voices coming from the other side of the door and he recognized the strong smell of marijuana. Lacking a better plan Roland brought up his right boot and slammed it against the door a thundering crack filled the hallway as the deadbolt smashed through the wall and the door flew inwards banging against the inner wall and rebounding. Screams came from the apartment as Roland pushed through the door and he followed the sounds and light to the living room his P90 held ready. Stepping into the living room Roland lowered the gun and looked around at four sets of scared, blood shot eyes. There were four people in the living room two guys and two girls; they were all dressed like punk rockers with band shirts, metal spikes, and piercings. The first guy was tall, skinny, and pale with black hair while the second guy was short, bigger and had tanned skin with blond hair. One of the girls had stark white skin with black hair and a curvy figure hidden under a Rob Zombie shirt. The last person in the room was a little bigger girl with neon orange hair. "Who the hell are you?" The tall guy was attempting to control his laughter.

"I'm Roland, and this is Cory. The dog is Eve. Who are you people and why are you here?"

"I'm DJ, he's Caleb, Cassandra is my girlfriend, and I'm not sure what her name is." He indicated the black haired girl.

"My name is Valerie, and we're here because DJ said evacuating would be a bad idea." She was staring at Roland.

"Well, you were right about that but I don't think getting high in a high rise is the best idea." Roland was a little uncomfortable by the way Valerie was looking at him.

"Well I though it was a good plan." Resentment oozed from DJ's mouth as a he spoke.

Without warning Eve rushed to the balcony and started growling her hackles raised. "Everyone shut up and put out those candles." Roland's voice was harsh and dangerous as he rushed to where the dog was standing.

The candles were doused quickly the room instantly dark and in the silence Roland heard what Eve had already heard; the moan of a lot of undead. Taking of his backpack Roland unhooked the sniper rifle and flipped open the scope covers. Opening the balcony door Roland stepped out into the cold night air the moon giving the cityscape and eerie glow. The moans were louder now and Roland looked down towards the street his eyes growing wide the horde was massive. It filled the street below looking for all the world like a mass of ants marching south through the city. Bringing the scope up to his eye Roland got a better look at the creatures surprised at how diverse they were, some were naked some clothes and all ages from toddlers to the elderly. Roland could hear someone behind him at the doorway attempting not to laugh and he turned from the rifle to see Caleb, his hand over his mouth. Caleb uncovered his mouth and was opening it to say something when Roland drew one of his Browning and aimed it at the shorter man's head. "If you don't shut the fuck up I will blow your brains all over the living room." Roland's whisper was harsh and violent the words themselves seeming to cut the much shorter man as he backed into the apartment his hands raised.

Roland lit a cigarette and brought the scope up to his eye again trying to find the back of the horde but unable to see one from the apartments balcony. He could see the creatures brushing up against the SRT on the street and he sighed as the passenger side mirror was torn off. It took two hours for the horde to pass, only a few stragglers remained and Roland considered trying to shoot them from the balcony but didn't want to alert the receding sea of undead. Turning away from the street Roland went back into the apartment shutting the door behind him.


	15. Chapter 14: Tough Decisions

**Chapter 14: Tough Decisions**

Eve had retreated to the apartments shattered doorway and was growling quietly but Roland took no notice as his stomach emitted a much louder grumble. Clicking on the safety Roland put the Timberwolf next to his bag and headed to the kitchen while Cory talked with the other four. Opening the fridge Roland chuckled. "Real good survival plan." The fridge was filled with beer, condiments and little else. Checking the cupboards Roland found a box of crackers and started eating tossing a few to Eve who hungrily devoured the orange circles. Tossing the empty box onto the counter Roland walked back into the living room, avoiding Valerie's gaze as he went and retrieved a Vitamin Water from his bag. "So what's the plan?" The question surprised Roland and he turned to look at Caleb.

"What?"

"Well Cory says you seem to know what you're doing so we are just wondering what the plan is now?"

"Well I'm hoping to find out what happened to my sister, grab some things from West Ed and then back to the Garrison to try and find out where Stonedecker went."

Cassandra spoke up then. "I heard on the radio that there were people hiding in the mall, hold on." She pulled out a portable radio, the kind that charged with a crank and flipped the power switch.

After a few seconds of static a deep voice came through the tiny speaker. "If you can hear this we are in the West Edmonton Mall, we have food and other supplies. We can protect you here. The Police and Military have fallen apart." The radio faded and shut off.

"Okay, grab your coats and shoes and let's get going, most of the creatures have passed but they may come back we have to hurry." Roland hooked the Timberwolf back onto the backpack and slung the pack over his shoulder.

The group was ready to go in five minutes Roland taking the lead not even noticing how close Eve stayed to him as they head for the stairs. Roland found the trip downstairs much easier than going up the stairs and as he stepped out into the lobby he chuckled when he saw several other members of the group panting as they exited the stairwell. Signaling for Cory to follow him Roland told the others to wait in the lobby as he clicked on the P90's laser sight and flicked the selector to single fire. There were a little over a dozen creatures on the street outside the apartment, Roland and Cory picking them off quickly before motioning for the others to follow.

Roland realized something was wrong when DJ collapsed three steps out of the door, Cassandra rushing to his side. Keeping his distance Roland look at Caleb. "What's wrong with him?"

"We have to help him." Cassandra interrupted her voice filled with panic.

"I couldn't tell you he seemed fine to me." Caleb barely finished talking when Eve started barking at the body.

"Shit! Cassandra get away from him!" Roland took another step back.

"What? Why?" Tears were streaming from her eyes leaving black streaks down her eyes.

"He's been…" Roland was cut off by a shriek from Cassandra as DJ bit her hand taking away a pinky.

"Holy shit!" Caleb screamed moving backwards so fast he tripped into the snow.

"Damn it." Roland cursed as he squeezed the submachine gun's trigger once and a quarter sized hole appeared in the top of DJ's head.

Cassandra was continuing to scream and Valerie tried to comfort her wrapping a sweater around her bloody hand. "It'll be okay Cassie, don't worry."

Roland crouched in front of Cassandra and held her face looking into her eyes. "Actually it's not, you've been bitten and you're gonna turn just like DJ here." He lifted the dead man's pant leg exposing the red circle of a bite. "Like it or not you are going to become one of them."

Cassandra began whimpering and Valerie backed away from her like she'd be stung. "How long do I have?" Her grey eyes pleaded with Roland.

"Maybe a day or less." Roland stood up and helped Cassandra to her feet.

"What do I do?"

"It's up to you really, I can't let you come with me it's too risky." Cory snorted at that.

"So you're just going to leave me here?" the girl's face hardened as she looked down at DJ's lifeless corpse.

"Roland, We can't." Cory started but Roland cut him off.

"Yes we can, and we will. I have no intention of dying anytime soon." Roland's face was expressionless as he looked at the girl. "The rest of you can stay but I'm leaving."

Caleb had stood up by now. "What if we take the truck and leave you here?" He moved towards Roland as he spoke.

"Then you would be dead before she." He pointed at Cassandra. "Had a chance to eat your dumb ass."

"What are you gonna do? Shoot me?" Caleb stopped within arm's length of Roland.

Roland smiled. "Yeah, I could do that." Before anyone could blink Roland drew one of his Brownings and had it pressed between Caleb's eyes.

"Guys stop!" Cassandra had stood up now. "Everyone go, just leave me. I do have one favor to ask?" She looked at Roland as she spoke.

"Sure, what you want?" Roland lowered the handgun and turned keeping his eyes on Caleb.

"Can you leave me a gun, you wouldn't leave a girl alone without a way to defend herself would you?" She held out a hand.

Roland's expression softened. "No I guess not, you're not gonna shoot me with it are you?" He held the Browning tentatively.

She shook her head. "No, from the looks of things you would shoot me before I could pull the trigger." She looked down at the still form on the ground.

"Let's not find out." Roland flipped the gun around placing the butt into the girl's palm. "Come on everyone let's go."

Valerie gave Cassandra a tearful hug, refusing to let go until Cassandra told her to go as Roland opened the truck door Eve jumping up to sit in the middle. Cory climbed in the passenger seat and Roland handed him his bag as he climbed in, not wanting to leave it in the back with the other two. Caleb gave Cassandra a hug and climbed into the back beside Valerie as Roland started the truck. The engine roared to life and Roland looked out the window his eyes catching Cassandra's they nodded to each other and Roland shifted the truck into drive. Roland pushed the accelerator and the truck put a cloud of snow and the girl behind them. Roland looked in the rearview mirror as the truck sped away and he saw the single flash. Turning his eyes back to road Roland did his best to forget the girl named Cassandra.


	16. Chapter 15: Crosstown Express

_A/N: As Spielberg said after making Indiana Jones and the last crusade. "This will hopefully make up for the last one." Even I know the last chapter wasn't the greatest but I had just gotten two of my wisdom teeth out and I've been working a lot lately and needed to put something out. Hopefully this will be better and I'll try to keep updates more frequent from now._

_As always please read and review._

**Chapter 15: Crosstown Express**

There was very little conversation in the truck as Roland turned west onto Jasper Avenue hoping to avoid the parking lot that was the Yellowhead trail. Roland could hear Valerie sobbing in the back and did his best to focus on the road. He was lighting a cigarette when he noticed something that made him slow down, the snow was hard packed as if hundreds of feet had recently walked across it. Cody looked at him questioningly but Roland put his finger to his lips silencing the question. The sky was clear and the moon was providing ample lighting as the truck moved down the empty street, darkened buildings looming on either side like stone and steel sentries. Turning on the high beams Roland was able to make out a solitary figure shambling down the middle of the street, Roland pushed the gas a little harder centering the truck's bumper on the stooped figure as the big red truck bore down on it. Roland could see it was an elderly woman, her yellow eyes turning to glare at him as the big truck connected with her slight frame. There was a slight bump and the truck continued on the creature's head turning to glare after it. "What was that?" Caleb asked.

"Nothing." Roland lied. "We need to get off this road."

"Take a right here and keep going north until you get to one eighteenth then take a left." Valerie spoke for the first time since they had left Cassandra.

"You got it." Roland made a quick right.

Much to Roland's relief the road they turned onto did not have hard packed snow and he smiled as he plowed through a deep drift, the snow flying up and over the big truck. Taking a few seconds to relax Roland flipped on the radio and started scanning the channels looking for anything. It was almost all static but when he stopped at the rock and roll station a deep male voice echoed out of the truck's speaker system. "West Edmonton Mall, we have electricity and water. We can protect you and feed you until help arrives. Come to the West Edmonton Mall." A recording.

"Look there are people there we'll be safe." Caleb spoke up. "We should go there."

"We were all ready headed there but we have no way of knowing if those people are still alive, it's just a recording." Roland turned down the radio and watched the street markers looking for one eighteenth.

"It's worth a shot Roland. What's the worst that could happen?" Cory chimed in.

Roland slowed down and made a left turn a long empty street stretching out ahead of them as Roland tried not to think of all the horrible things that had happened in the past week. "Nothing I guess."

Roland felt, rather than heard the tire blow out as the truck started pulling sharply to the right. Slowing the truck to a stop Roland looked at the three worried faces all eyes glued to his. "We blew a tire, we're gonna have to change it. Valerie stay in the truck, Caleb you grab the jack out from under the back seat, and Cory you're with me. Let's go get the spare." Roland opened his door the icy wind quickly filling the truck.

Going around the front of the truck Roland found the front passenger side tire completely flat, a six inch gash torn into the thick rubber. Cory had climbed out of the passenger side and was staring at the tire. "Shit dude, what did you run over." A moan came from somewhere nearby cause both men to raise their weapons.

"I don't know but you and Caleb get that tire changed fast and I'll keep watch." Roland flipped on the P90's taclight.

"Like a NASCAR pit crew." Cory and Caleb headed to the back of truck.

Realizing he would need a better view point Roland climbed into the box of the truck trying to look in every direction at once. He heard a moan coming from an alley fifty feet behind the truck and he clicked on the laser sight, bringing the weapon up to his shoulder. Caleb and Cory had the spare tire and were all ready jacking the truck up as the first of the creatures came around the corner. Breathing slowly and closing his left eye Roland centered the red dot sight on the creature's forehead and squeezed the trigger. The submachine gun barked and he was rewarded with a nickel sized hole materializing in the things skull as it collapsed into the snow. He easily dispatched the next two monsters and was feeling pretty confident with himself. His confidence evaporated as a group of a dozen came around the corner, moaning hungrily. "Faster would be better!" He yelled to Cory as he drew a bead on the closest creature.

"It's got a locking lug nut!" Cory's angry reply came from the front of the truck.

"Check the glove compartment!" Roland was taking the monsters out one at a time but more were materializing from the alley as he did.

"Got it!" Roland's magazine clicked dry.

"Good now hurry the hell up!" He inserted a fresh one and started firing again the monsters now numbered over fourty.

The P90's last clip clicked dry and he was drawing the Browning as the truck leveled out and he heard Cory's excited voice. "We're done, let's go!"

"Don't gotta tell me twice." Roland muttered under his breath as he jumped from the box and right into the arms of one of the creatures.

Roland figured she must have been gorgeous when she was alive and he felt a little remorse as he smashed the butt of the pistol into her face crushing one of her pretty blue eyes. Uncaring she lunged again, this time knocking the pistol from his hand. As he put both his hands against her neck he could see the approaching mob. With no other options Roland pulled back his right hand to through a punch when a gunshot came from behind him and the creature's face exploded falling from his grip as it did so. Roland turned to see Cory leaning out the now open driver's door his FAL in hand. "Are you done flirting? We gotta get going."

Roland smiled and jogged for the door ignoring his lost automatic. "Kiss my ass."

Safely back in the truck Roland reached into his backpack and pulled out one of the grenades. "Come on you bastards." He snarled.

"What are you waiting for? They're coming!" Valerie shrieked, her face pressed to the back window.

The creatures were five feet from the truck and Roland rolled down the window and leaned out. "See you in hell." Pulling the pin he tossed the grenade at the nearest monster.

"You're crazy!" This time it was Caleb shrieking as Roland shoved the truck in drive and floored the truck.

Three seconds later the grenade exploded taking a few of the creatures with it and Roland smiled as he watched in the side view mirror. Lighting a cigarette he inhaled enjoying the warm sensation. Roland flicked the butt of the cigarette and made a left turn onto one seventieth. "Who wants to go to the mall?" He laughed a little it felt good to laugh.

"Dude, I think you've lost it." Cory was shaking his head.

"Dead people are coming back to life and eating people, I think the whole world has lost it." Roland was maneuvering expertly through the empty cars littering the street, his years of driving an ambulance finally coming in handy.

"Guess you got a point there." Cory shook his head turning his eyes back to the road.

Reaching the mall had been easy; the hard part would be getting into the mall. The undead had gathered at every entrance to the mall Roland saw as he drove past each. Coming to a stop a distance from the entrance nearest to the casino Roland had a crazy idea. "This entrance seems to have the least creatures at it, so I'm gonna lead those things away from the entrance so you guys can get in. Then I'll double back afterwards and catch up with you guys inside."

"What's wrong with you? What if those things get you? How are you gonna back inside afterwards?" Valerie was staring at him again and she seemed extremely upset with his suicidal plan.

"She's right dude, it ain't worth the risk." Cory chimed in.

"Unless you got a better plan Cory, I'd love to hear it? No? Didn't think so now pass me my backpack." Roland opened the door and climbed out. "Eve, come."

Roland shut the door behind the dog and Cory slid into the driver's seat. "Dude be careful." He cautioned handing Roland's backpack out the window.

"Don't worry we got this, don't we girl." Roland pulled on the backpack and gave Eve a scratch behind the ears.

"Try not to die." Caleb called from the back seat.

"Arrogant little bastard." Roland muttered under his breath. "Cory, the second I lead them away you get to that door and you guys get inside. You got me?"

"You got it, Roland."

"Good luck."

"You too." Cory rolled up the window and Roland could have sworn Valerie blew him a kiss from the back seat.


	17. Chapter 16: Not The Best Plan

**Chapter 16: Not The Best Plan**

The wind was picking up and Roland did his best to ignore the needling cold as he walked towards the entrance and it's mass of death. Tossing away the empty magazine he loaded a fresh one into the P90, with both his pistols he only had the submachine gun and sniper rifle left. Looking through his backpack as he walked he took stock; three magazines for the P90, four clips for the Timberwolf, and five grenades. It wasn't much but it would have to do, Roland thought as he slung the backpack over his shoulder and looked down at the blue eyed canine walking beside him. "Well girl, let's see if we can get their attention."

Roland was fifty feet away from what he guessed was about fifty of the creatures when he stopped drawing a bead on the nearest monster. Letting out a sharp whistle as he squeezed the trigger he watched as it's left eye disappeared, his moment of pride cut short as the rest turned towards him and began a slow shambling walk in his direction. Roland knew he needed to lead them away from both the truck and the entrance but he didn't want to get to close to another entrance or he'd risk increasing the size of the mob following him. "Guess we got their attention, come on Eve let's go."

"Come on you bastards, free meal right here!" Roland shouted as he put some distance between himself and the creatures heading for the street.

Stopping at the edge of the parking lot Roland turned to make sure they were all following him before taking the opportunity to perforate a few more skulls. Once he was sure there were no more creatures left at the entrance Roland jogged across the street his progress slowed by the deep snow everywhere and he could see Eve hopping through the snow beside him. He reached the nearest fence with at least eighty feet between him and his new fan group and began looking for a gate.

As far as Roland could see in either direction the fence was unbroken by a gate or hole and the hungry crowd was closing on him. "Over, under, around or through." Roland said to Eve and he started to kick in the fence boards.

As soon as Roland had three of the six inch fence boards broken off Eve jumped through the hole, Roland turning to look at the encroaching mob before climbing through himself. The Timberwolf's stock became momentarily stuck causing Roland to panic momentarily until he pulled the stock down and freed himself. There was a two-story home in the yard, one of many cookie cutter homes and Roland headed for the back door praying it was unlocked. Eve was already all ready at the sliding glass doors by the time Roland got there and seemed to be looking at him expectantly. "Let's hope the god's of luck are smiling on us girl." He said as he grabbed the handle and pulled.

The door slid open silently and Roland said a silent thank you as he ushered the dog in before stepping through himself. Safely inside Roland slid the door shut and clicked the locked just as the first of the creatures fell through the gaping hole in the fence. The fence blocked his view of the mall so Roland decided to head for the second floor to get a better look. The house was dark and Roland clicked on his taclight instantly lighting up a large family photograph above the nearby fireplace. Looking away Roland headed for the stairs his boots clumping along the floor as he went.

Eve followed close behind her nails clicking on the linoleum floor, the pair's footsteps the only sound in the house. Roland shivered, it may not have been as cold inside the house as it was outside but it certainly wasn't warm. There was thick, white carpet on the stairs and Roland felt a little bad as he trudge up the stairs, his boots heavy from the days exertions but he had to know what had happened to the others. At the top of the stairs Roland headed to the back of the house and found himself in the master bedroom. Opening the curtain on a solitary window he saw that the yard was filled with the monsters that had followed him from the mall and that he had a clear view of the mall's casino entrance.

Throwing his backpack on the bed he pulled the Timberwolf from its sling and opened the window. A blast of cold air hit him in the face and he kicked out the screen watching it bounce of the head of one of the undead. Roland rested the sniper rifle's bipod on the window and pointed the scope towards the mall where he could see the truck was parked in front of the doors it's passengers gone. "Well at least they made it, I guess we'll just stay here tonight." Roland looked at his watch and saw he'd been awake for almost twenty hours.

Moving quickly through the house to insure all the doors were locked Roland grabbed what he could out of the fridge before heading back to the master bedroom. Not wanting any unexpected visitors Roland tipped the heavy armoire over and braced it against the door making sure nothing could move it. His temporary hideout secure Roland fed Eve the ham he had found in the fridge, the dog devouring the meat hungrily. Taking off his backpack, vest and the P90 Roland sat down on the bed and lit a cigarette suddenly feeling very peaceful. The ham gone Eve climbed up onto the bed and Roland kicked off his boots while throwing the duster on the floor. Crushing his cigarette on the nightstand and pulled the blankets over himself and the dog, Eve cuddling into his chest. Outside Roland could make out the dull moaning of the creatures but the blackness of sleep was more powerful and no sooner had he closed his eyes than his world dissolved to nothingness.

In the dream he was chasing Emily her hand reaching out for his as some unseen force pulled away constantly out of his reach and behind him a horde of undead gave chase constantly at his heels. Suddenly he tripped on something soft landing face first in the cold wet snow and when he turned to look he saw the yellow eyes of Crystal glaring at him as she took a bite out of his calf. The pain was excruciating and as he watched Emily fade into the distance he felt more bites all over his body. Turning to look he saw the faces of everyone else he had allowed to die, their skin grey and eyes yellow. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" He kept screaming as they tore into his flesh their yellow eyes boring into him while his blood dripped from their lips.

The sound of Eve's barking brought him back to reality, and he sat up with a start looking around the now brightly lit room. Eve was standing at the foot of the bed facing the door growling at the door the sound of scratching and moaning coming from the other side. Climbing quickly out the big bed Roland pulled on his boots and duster peering out the window as he did. The sun had risen and he could see the back yard was empty, he also saw that another crowd of monsters had gathered in front of the mall. It was twelve feet to the ground and as Roland pulled on his vest and backpack he got an idea.

Picking up the nightstand and using it as a battering ram Roland knocked the entire window assembly out of its frame listening to the glass shatter as it hit the ground below. Tossing the nightstand out the window Roland pulled all of the covers off the bed earning him an indignant look from Eve as he pulled the covers out from under her. The covers off the bed Roland yanked off the mattress and dragged it to the window looking out to insure no creatures were nearby. Once he was sure the coast was clear Roland folded the mattress in half and shoved it through the gaping hole trying his best to insure it landed flat below the window.

The gods must be on my side Roland thought as the mattress flopped down directly below the window. "Come here Eve, we gotta go." Roland scooped the dog up into his arms and headed to the hole in the wall checking again for any creatures.

Making a mental prayer Roland climbed up so he was sitting on the ledge Eve in his arms and closing his eyes pushed off. The fall was short and he let go of Eve before he landed to keep from hurting the dog but Roland landed sideways and knocked the wind out of himself. Laying on the mattress in the cold December air Roland did his best to try and catch his breath while Eve licked his face almost as if to say "Come on we gotta get going."

A vicious snarl from just inside the house sent a surge of adrenaline through Roland's veins and he rolled over to see a woman as wide as the door lunging through the broken glass towards him. Without thinking Roland rolled quickly out the way as the creature crashed down onto the mattress in the spot Roland had just vacated. Eve started barking at the creature and Roland could hear moans coming from just inside the house. His left arm had become trapped underneath the massive creature so Roland gripped the bullpup submachine gun with his right hand and flicked the selector to full auto. Doing his best to point the gun at the monster's head Roland shut his eyes and pulled the trigger.

The clip had only been half full and as soon as it clicked dry Roland opened his eyes looking at what had not long before been a Wal-Mart greeter. The thing's head had disintegrated under the hail of armor piercing rounds only a jagged neck stump remained. Not bothering to linger on the grisly image Roland pulled his arm free and stood up looking into the house, he saw that a majority of the creatures were still making their way to the door. Thank god these things don't move fast Roland thought reaching into his backpack and pulling out two of the dark green spheres marked "HE". Roland pulled the pins on both looking disgustedly at the monsters slowly coming towards him from the stairwell. "As if anything like you pieces of shit could ever kill me." Roland pulled the pins and tossed the grenades into the center of the house a fiendish smile twisting his lips.

"Eve, let's go!" Roland barked running for the hole in the fence the dog following close behind.

Roland dove through the gap in the pale blue boards just as twin explosions rocked the house setting of a nearby car alarm. Standing up groggily and brushing himself off Roland turned to look at the house just in time to watch the second floor and roof collapse as flames engulfed the exterior. Raising his middle finger in a mock salute to the burning monument and crinkling his nose at the scent of burning flesh Roland looked down at the dog. "It was an ugly house anyways, let's go find the others." Eve gave a single bark and the pair turned towards the mall.


	18. Chapter 17: Let Me In

**Chapter 17: Let Me In**

The house still burning behind them Roland and Eve made their way quickly across the street turning south in attempt to find an alternative entrance, the one the other had used was blocked my a mob of undead. The sun was out and it was the first time Roland had seen it in days forcing him to squint as it reflected of the pristine white snow. Roland was thankful the temperature had gone up slightly and as he lit a cigarette he scanned the mall for a way in. Roland's boots made only a whisper as he trudge through the knee deep powder, Eve hopping along beside him like a puppy out for a walk. Roland stopped suddenly as he saw his way in; there was a roll up receiving door open about a foot in between two of the largest groups of undead. Kneeling down Roland looked the dog in the eyes. "All right girl, we're gonna have to do this fast, get in and shut the door 'cause I don't think those bastards are gonna give use much time. You ready?"

Roland could have sworn the dog winked at him as he stood back up. Taking of at a run, Roland looked down to see the dog running along beside him her tongue flapping as she went. Halfway across the incredibly long parking lot the nearest of the creatures noticed the pair and let out a long, bone chilling moan, causing all the others to turn almost in unison their yellow eyes centering on the running man and canine. Like the Red Sea closing back up on the pursuing Egyptian the two groups started towards Roland and his companion, the roll up door seeming farther away every second. Holding the P90 one handed Roland squeezed the trigger and listened with horror as it clicked dry on an empty chamber. "Shit!" He screamed adrenalin coursing through his veins giving him an extra burst of speed.

He was only twenty feet from the door with the encroaching horde so close on either side he could smell the rotten flesh on their breath. Pulling off his backpack as he neared the door he tossed it through the opening and leaned down to scoop up the Husky feeling her heart pound through the sleeve of his duster. Skidding to a halt at the door Roland pushed Eve through the door just as a hand grazed his back the accompanying snarl causing the hairs on his neck to stand at attention. Spinning around quickly his duster floating like a cape Roland came face to face with one of the reporter's he had seen while imprisoned her microphone still clipped on her stylish lapel and her hair coated in blood. Baring her teeth she lunged for Roland her arms reaching for his shoulders as he back against the ledge. Raising his right boot Roland unleashed a devastating kick aimed for the center of her blazer. "No comment!" He yelled his boot smashing into her rib cage with a satisfying crunch.

As the monster tumbled backwards taking several other creatures down with her Roland ducked his head under the door and pulled himself through backwards. His upper body through the door Roland felt a tug on his jeans as he slid a little ways back out the door. Using his other foot Roland kicked at the soft form holding his leg until the grip released. His leg free Roland turned sideways and rolled quickly away from the door only stopping when he was well out arm's reach. Not pausing to catch his breath Roland jumped to his feet and looked the door. A dozen undead arms were reaching through the opening and Roland could make out many more behind them. Lacking a better plan he ran for the door and leapt grabbing onto the crossbars and bracing his feet against the bottom as the door slammed downwards in a massive bang covering the sound of several arm bones shattering.

Slamming the bolt in place Roland jumped back from the door avoiding the arms that flopped around like worms cut in half. Disgusted Roland began looking around the loading bay for something spotting it on a far wall. Eve continued to bark at the door while Roland retrieved his prize and as he broke the glass a sadistic smile crossed his lips, he may have abhorred violence before this, but these things were starting to piss him off. The bright red fire axe's silver head glinted in the dim warehouse light as Roland walked back to the door. Coming to the first of the flopping arms Roland lined the shiny blade up with a spot just above the elbow his eyes glinting in the dim light. Raising the scarlet axe above his head he brought it down with all his strength neatly slicing the arm from it's owner before the impact with the cement floor sent a painful shock up both his arms.

Slamming the door all the way down and bolting it Roland paused to look at his handiwork; there were fourteen arms motionless on the floor. Picking up the nearest arm with his gloved hand Roland examined the stump, the skin had turned leathery and the flesh underneath was almost rubbery. Dropping the arm Roland looked around the warehouse, he was in the back of the Bay according to nearest box. He could see several boxes marked for a Boxing Day sale that never came and as he retrieved his backpack he frowned thinking of all the holidays he had wasted working. Shaking his head to clear the memories Roland reloaded the P90 and retrieved the axe from where he had dropped it after the last arm had been severed. "Come on Eve, let's go find the others."

It was dark in the back of the store and Roland moved towards the front of the store not wanting to linger in darkness where he might be at a disadvantage. Moving quickly and silently down the isles towards the front Eve close behind Roland did his best to listen for anything else in the store. Luckily the store was empty except for him and he managed to reach the front without incident. The sound of voices coming from the mall startled Roland and he dove behind a display. "Eve, come here." He hissed grabbing the dog's collar as she got close.

"I swear to god I heard something coming from inside and remember the look out said there had been four people in the truck." A deep male voice echoed through the store.

"Yeah, but there's no way he could get in the ghouls have all the entrances blocked and he was by himself." This voice more nasal and high pitched.

"Come on you idiots and remember Michael wants him alive to use as bait for our escape." This voice was a deep baritone with a Nigerian accent.

"You got it Jim, I just hope he let's the girl live." The nasal voice again.

"Yeah, Carl cause that's the only way you'd ever get laid." The first voice laughed.

"Screw you Leonard!" The nasal voice almost squeaked in anger.

"Both of you shut the hell up or you'll be used as the bait." Jim's deep voice snarled.

"Sorry, Jim." The other two almost whispered.

The gate opened and Eve started a low growl in the direction of the men, Roland doing his best to silence her. He could make out the sound of two sets of boots heading towards the loading bay past his hiding spot. Thankfully the heavy boot falls were louder than Eve's growling and once he was sure the other two had reaching the loading area Roland peeked over the counter to see who had been left to guard the door. The figure in the doorway was skinnier and slightly taller than Roland with a mess of brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses perched on a hooked nose. He wore a sweater and corduroys but Roland concentrated on the long black item in the man's arms. It was a semiautomatic shotgun similar to the one the military had taken from him.

The man was looking away from Roland fondling a nearby manikin and Roland knew he would never have a better opportunity. Running on his tip toes, his boots barely touching the floor Roland crossed the distance in a few seconds the man turning to face him too late. "What the!" Was all he managed to say before the handle of the fire axe connected with his jaw knocking him to the floor instantly. Grabbing the shotgun from his target's limp hands Roland whistled for the dog just as a loud commotion came from the direction of the loading bay. Eve on his heels Roland took off through the door and out into the mall proper, there was no one else in sight and Roland made for a nearby escalator and taking the stairs two at time headed out onto the second floor.

Pausing briefly to catch his breath Roland looked down at Eve and realized there was a fairly good chance the husky could be injured by a stray bullet. Looking around to get his bearings Roland saw a janitor's closet that had been left ajar and called the dog over to it. "Sorry girl, it's for you own good." Roland whispered as he pushed the dog into the room and after insuring the door was unlocked slammed it shut.

The dog safe Roland headed towards the radio station, which also happened to be suspiciously close to the gun store, he never made it. Roland reached the wave pool and found it odd he still hadn't found anyone besides the first three. Doing his best not to make any noise Roland didn't see the ambush waiting for him around the corner across from the pirate ship. "Don't move, son." Came an elderly, almost friendly voice belonging to a red haired man in a preacher's garb, the golden Desert Eagle in his hand was not so friends.

"Shit." Roland muttered raising his hands as he backed towards the railing.

"You did good son, real good. The tall guy told us all about what you been through but I'm afraid there isn't a place in the new world for godless people such as you." The preacher was back by at least twelve other men, all well armed.

"Who are you to decide whether I have a place or not?" Roland snarled keeping his hands high.

"I am god's voice, he came to me in a vision and told…"

"Yeah, yeah that's nice but I'm getting old listening to you. Now why aren't I allowed in the new world?" Roland was playing a dangerous game now.

"You have tattoos, you smoke, you swear."

"Every Goddamn day, now let's talk…" The Desert Eagle barked silencing Roland, the impact knocking him over the railing as the round smashed into his chest.

"Thou shalt not take the lord's name…" Was the last thing Roland heard as he hit the water below and everything went black.


	19. Chapter 18: That Really Hurt

**Chapter 18: That Really Hurt**

Roland could hear water lapping against something and it reminded him of the beach when he was younger. The next thing he noticed as his mind cleared was the fact that he was soaking wet and his chest hurt like a son of a bitch. "God damn that hurts." He groaned rolling over.

"You're awake." Came a voice from above his head.

"I wish I wasn't." Roland replied trying to roll over but finding himself stopped by a row of movie style seats.

"I can't blame you, that vest stopped the bullet but I'm pretty sure it cracked a few ribs." Roland noticed the voice seemed to echo like they were in a tight, enclosed space.

Opening his eyes looking around, there were metal walls and a metal roof with a hatch in the middle. "Are we in one of the subs?"

A tall man with brown curly hair stepped into Roland's view a green glow stick hanging from his neck. "Would you rather be outside where the Reverend can take another shot at you? I'm certain his aim would be better."

"No, I'm good. Why'd you rescue me anyways?" Roland pulled himself into a sitting position the pain making him wince.

"I can't kill the Reverend myself and you're the best help I could find." The dark haired man extended his hand.

"Well at least we have a common goal. What's your name by the way?" Roland took the hand and stood up. "I'm Roland."

"Indeed, my name is Blaze Door."

"So why are we hiding in the sub and why do you want to kill the Reverend?" Roland shivered as his wet clothes settle against his skin; raising goose bumps all over his body.

"He controls pretty much all of the mall with his followers making constant patrols, as for why, revenge is a funny thing."

Roland looked at his watch. "Works for me, have I really been out for fourteen hours?"

"Yeah, I thought you were dead for a while there. I snuck out after night fall and got you a change of clothes and I've been stealing weapons." Blaze gestured to one of the nearby seats.

Roland felt his dripping clothes and looked down at the seat; Blaze had acquired new duster, new jeans, a black turtleneck sweater, and a new pair of boots. "Thanks." Roland said picking through a pile of socks, boxers, and tee shirts.

"No problem, you hungry? I'm gonna see if I can find us something to eat." Blaze was all ready climbing the ladder.

"Sure." Was all Roland managed to say as the taller man disappeared through the roof hatch.

Roland was quite impressed with the clothes Blaze had picked out for him, everything fit rather nicely and he found a brand new Zippo in amongst the pile of socks. Remembering the cigarettes in his backpack Roland unzipped the dark green bag and started pulling things out. Most of the ammunition was soaked along with his grenade but in a small favor from the heavens the plastic wrapping around his cigarettes had kept them dry. Tearing off the plastic on one of the packs Roland lit one of the cigarettes and inhaled deeply. "Thank heavens for small mercies." He muttered to himself looking at the weapons Blaze had managed to procure.

It was mostly knives, axes, and a few handguns but Roland saw something he couldn't take his eyes off of. It was a full length Katana in a dark blue sheath with a dragon's head adorning the base of the grip. The price tag was still attached and Roland glanced at it finding the sword worth almost two thousand dollars. "No way." He whispered in awe as he revealed the blade.

Testing his thumb along the length of the shining steel Roland found it to be razor sharp and he smiled wickedly. Strapping the sword to his back Roland armed himself with what could be considered an arsenal of blades, grabbing two of the H&K USPs from the pile; His own guns still soaking wet. The sound of the hatch opening startled Roland causing him to back away from the opening, one of the USPs in his right hand ready for anything. The sight of Blaze's curly brown hair relaxed Roland and he holstered the pistol. "Don't you know how to knock?" He joked.

"Well, I'm not used to having a roommate." Blaze smiled. "So you want fruit salad or pear halves? We're kinda limited on choice in face of the apocalypse." Blaze held the cans forward.

Roland laughed enjoying the feeling. "I'll take the pear's. Where do you get this stuff from anyways?"

"Zeller's, the Reverend's goons haven't cleaned that out completely yet." Blaze opened his can before handing Roland the can opener.

"Doesn't take long for things to fall apart does it?" Roland thought back over the last week as he opened his can.

"No, it really doesn't."

"So how did you end up here anyways?" Roland speared one of the pears and took a bite enjoying the taste.

As the two ate in the otherworldly glow from the glow sticks Blaze outlined everything that had happened since the outbreak. It had started earlier than in Fort McMurray but in smaller more dispersed events until it eventually became too much for the police to handle about the same day that Fort McMurray had been overrun. When everyone else had been attempting to escape the city Blaze and his friends and family had come to the mall, his sister having a key.

They had hid there for a few days attempting to barricade as many entrances as possible but on the third day the Reverend and his entire congregation had come through one of the of the entrances follow closely by a massive horde of the undead. After repelling the horde the Reverend had quickly taken over the entire mall imprisoning Blaze's entire family and killing the security guards that had been still in the mall when the world had gone to hell. Blaze had been away looking for supplies at the time and had hidden after watching the Reverend take his family prisoner at gunpoint. That had been four days ago and Blaze hadn't seen his family since but he had seen Cory and the others being lead away at gunpoint into a furniture store.

His can empty Roland drank the last of the juice before placing the can on the nearby ledge. "Well I have to find my friends, you can come if you like but I wouldn't blame if you didn't."

"He's got my family too, I'm just as invested in this as you are." Blaze put down his can and grabbed a pump action shotgun Roland hadn't seen earlier.

"Well then let's go find them and see if we can't perform some kind of rescue." Roland said climbing up the ladder.

The two men kept silent as they exited the sub, ducking along the gangway keeping an eye open for any sign of the Reverend's men. Roland looked down the mall towards poor Eve was still locked in a closet making a silent promise to get her soon. Blaze led the way up the escalator stopping at the top as the tell-a-tale light of a flashlight flicked back and forth across the ground. Looking at Blaze Roland brought his finger up to his lips and then motioned for the other man to stay put.

Pulling a combat knife from his right boot Roland took off at a run towards the source of the light ducking behind a potted plant as the light swung in his direction. Holding his breath while the white beam flicked back and forth in the area he had recently vacated Roland tightened his grip in the knife's handle. The light turned back away and after listening to the footsteps recede Roland stood up and took off the guard doing his best to tiptoe. The guard stopped to examine a storefront just long enough for Roland to close the distance.

Letting his instincts take control Roland grabbed the guard's shoulder with his left hand and with his right drove the combat knife deep into the man's back, piercing his lung before coming out the other side. The man's flashlight and hunting rifle clattered to floor as Roland pulled the knife viciously from the guard's back and stepped away letting him fall to the floor. As the guard hit the floor Roland looked into his face; he was in his mid-forties with a receding hairline and John Lennon glasses. Roland looked into the man's chubby face the realization that he had just murdered someone's father or husband sinking in. Kneeling down beside the man Roland could hear gurgling as his victim tried to take in air and he saw the fear in his eyes as Roland centered the blood soaked knife over his heart. "Sorry buddy, but it's you or me and I'm not fixin' to die anytime soon." The knife plunged into the guard's chest and his eyes went dark.

Clicking the flashlight on and off towards the escalator Roland motioned for Blaze to come over and began dragging the body over towards the store he had been looking in. Blaze came jogging over from the escalator his eyes opening wide as he saw what Roland had done. "Dude, you are scary." He whispered picking up the guard's rifle.

"I made a promise to someone and I will be damned if some religious nut job is gonna make me break that promise." Roland thought of Emily and hoped she could make it till he got wherever she was.

"Remind me not to piss you off."

"That is usually the safest course of action." Roland pushed the body up against the rollup door doing his best not to look at the children's toys scattered about the store.

Taking the rifle from Blaze and slinging it over his shoulder opposite the Katana Roland followed the taller man as they continued towards the furniture store. The area in front the store was brightly lit and Roland could make out the silhouette of two guards standing on the second floor looking down. The sounds of a sermon echoed up from the ground level and Roland felt his blood boil at the sound of the Reverend's voice. "The lord hath given us an opportunity to start the world anew, but first we must prove to him that we deserve it and that we are not weak." Roland motioned to Blaze pointing at the two guards and dragging his thumb across his neck.

Blaze nodded and started creeping along the wall towards the farther guard while the Reverend continued. "We must prove that we will not allow filth such as this to continue unabated, we must prove that we will follow his commandments." The Reverend was getting more worked up now.

Blaze was in position now and Roland crept up behind the guard who was completely entranced with what the Reverend was saying. "One's such as this must be made an example of, if we are to survive this new world." Roland could hear amen's and cheer's from an unseen audience now.

Rising up like an angel of death Roland put his hand over the guard's mouth at the same time his blade's serrated edge kissed his neck. The guard struggled briefly as Roland dragged him to the ground his hand firmly pressed against the dying man's mouth as the light drained from his eyes. Looking over to see that Blaze had silenced the other guard Roland made his way towards the other man, the both of them meeting halfway and peeking over the railing to see the sermon downstairs. The Reverend was standing on a makeshift stage the Desert Eagle holstered under his left arm and a bible in his right hand. "These people have no place in God's new world and as such will be purged!" He was almost screaming now gesturing to a man bound at his hand and feet and supported by two large men in flannel shirts.

"No." Blaze whispered and Roland guessed the man was his father.

"Will you accept the lord and me as his vessel?" The Reverend asked the man who looked as though he had been beaten.

"Go screw yourself. What did you do with my son?" The man spat.

"Your son is with god now as you soon will be, if he is gracious." The Reverend drew his Desert Eagle and shot the man twice in the chest.


	20. Chapter 19: Thicker Than Water

**Chapter 19: Thicker Than Water**

Before Roland could react Blaze was up screaming. "Dad!"

Roland could swear a smile crossed the doomed man's face as the two holding him let go and brought their weapons up. "Ahh, look my children two of the devil's henchmen!" The Reverend pointed up at Roland and Blaze

"Oh, shit!" Roland cursed as dozen's of faces and just as many guns pointed up towards the two men. "Time to go, Blaze."

"Kill them!" Came the Reverend's cry as a hail of bullets flew through the area where Blaze and Roland had been seconds before.

Roland had pulled Blaze down just the congregation started firing the taller man fighting to get up. "Let me go!" He raged as bullets whizzed past before smacking into the drywall above them.

"You wanna die you idiot?" Roland struggled to keep Blaze below the bullets. "You're not gonna get revenge as a corpse, now let's get the hell out of here."

Blaze stopped struggling and Roland could see tears streaking down his face as both men began crawling away from the edge. Once they were out of the line of fire they both stood up and took off at a run. The Reverend's followers were quickly coming after them, one surprising Roland as he came up the escalator just ahead of them and fired. The bullet punched a hole in the floor just ahead of Roland's boot and he pulled a throwing knife from his pocket and threw it at the man as hard as he could.

The knife sliced through the air between Roland and his enemy in an instant before entering the man's neck and knocking him back down the escalator. Stealing a glance down the escalator as they passed Roland's adrenalin surged when he saw the dozens of armed people attempting to pass their now deceased brother. Running faster than he had ever run before Roland could hear the congregation clearing the escalator just as the sound of gunfire began anew.

A bullet whizzed past Roland's ear and he could hear more impacting all around. Roland and Blaze rounded another corner and Roland assumed they were home free when Roland heard a grunt from Blaze and the tall, curly haired man stumbled before collapsing to the ground, a red stain growing on the left side of his shirt.

Turning Roland began firing the hunting rifle into the crowd as Blaze lifted himself to a sitting position his hand pressed tightly against his stomach. The rifle clicked dry and Roland threw it away drawing the USPs as the crowded scattered ducking into stores and behind flowerpots. Several bodies lay on the ground unmoving and Roland could see one reaching towards someone he couldn't see. Holstering one of his pistols Roland centered the sights on the woman's head, her left arm outstretched towards the store and a chrome revolver clutched in her right hand. The USP barked and the woman went still her arm falling limply to the ground as the others began shooting at Roland again.

Ducking back behind the wall Roland took a look at Blaze's wound, it had been a large caliber bullet and blood was starting to pour out onto the floor beneath Blaze. "How you feelin' Blaze?" Roland asked all ready knowing the answer.

"Pretty sure I'm dying, but thanks for asking." Blaze was quickly becoming pale and his words were strained.

"I'm sorry Blaze, I'm sorry for everything." A bullet ricocheted of the floor inches from Roland's limp left hand.

Grabbing Roland's hand with his own bloody hand Blaze pulled Roland close. "Meh, it was bound to happen sooner or later, now you listen to me. I want you to kill him. You got me? Kill all of them."

"You got it buddy." Roland felt Blaze's hand go limp as tears began to sting his eyes.

Letting go of the dead man's hand Roland stood up staring down at the person who even in death seemed to be much bigger than he was. Leaning down Roland slid his hand down his friend's face closing his eyes and silently thanking him. His eyes still blurred by tears Roland was able to make out the shape of someone coming around the corner and suddenly his vision went red. Using the last two rounds in the USP Roland shot the man in both legs before dropping the automatic and drawing the Katana. Roland's rage muffled the man's pleas for mercy as the Katana made a horizontal arc and the man's head fell from his shoulders.

Breathing hard as his vision cleared and the headless corpse came into view Roland shook his head wondering why murder was becoming so easy for him. The boom of a twelve gauge brought Roland's survival instinct to the forefront and as he took of running towards the safety of the submarine he knew that he was going to do everything in his power to stay alive, even if it meant ending the life of another. As he slid down the escalator Roland knew he was going to need a really big distraction if he was going to get close to the Reverend.

Making sure he had lost the Reverend's followers Roland made his way across the gangway and into the submarine closing the hatch as quietly as possible. Once safely inside the sub Roland stripped his duster and weaponry before collapsing into the seat next to his backpack. He needed a cigarette, badly and as he pulled the pack from his pack an idea started to form. Lighting one of the white paper tubes and inhaling deeply Roland pulled one of the four remaining grenades and rolled it back in forth in his hand a thoughtful smile pursing his lips as he savored the cigarette's warmth.

Crushing the cigarette under his boot Roland began packing everything he could find in the cramped sub into his backpack and pockets. The P90 and Timberwolf had dried enough to be used properly but need a cleaning in the near future. Silence outside the sub signaled to Roland that the congregation was no long looking for him in the immediate area and climbed out of the sub looking around just to be sure. Once he was certain the coast was clear Roland started towards the far end of the mall where he had left Even and away from the Reverend's church.

Surprisingly Roland didn't encounter any of the Reverend's flock between the sub and the closet where Eve was hidden. Roland noticed it was oddly quite in the closet and he prayed nothing had happened to the dog while he was gone. Turning the knob and pulling the door open Roland was caught of guard as Eve tackled him to the floor and began licking his face. "Okay girl, I missed you too. Now come on, we got rescuing to do." Roland said pushing the dog of himself.

Roland knew what he needed and he was pretty sure Zeller's would be the best place to find it, plus he might find some food for Eve who hadn't eaten in quite a while. When they reached Zeller's without meeting any guards Roland began to wonder why the Reverend wasn't actively looking for him and what he was plotting. Once inside Roland went straight to the pets' section and tore open a large bag of dog food laying it on the floor for Eve. While the dog hungrily devoured the dark brown nuggets Roland headed to the hardware department and retrieved a roll of duct tape and a length of fishing line.

Using the duct tape Roland taped the grenades together in groups of two and then tied the fishing line through both pins. Depositing his handiwork back into his backpack Roland paused to watch the dog eat and enjoy a cigarette. His smoke lit Roland blew a puff of smoke out into the air and began to steel himself for the task at hand. The Reverend had to die about that there could be no doubt; he just hoped he would be able to rescue his friends as well. Eve stopped eating and sat down looking at Roland as if to say. "Well, I'm ready when you are."

Putting his cigarette out against the tile floor Roland stood up and looked back at the dog. "Well what do you say we go rescue Cory and the others?"

With an agreeing bark the black and white husky stood up her eyes smiling up at Roland as he put on his backpack.


	21. Chapter 20: Religious Punishment

**A/N: **Hi guys guess I've been gone on extended hiatus, luckily I'm back and I've got my mojo back so I should be continuing the story regularly. I know it's been a long wait but hopefully it'll be worth it. Anyways as always enjoy, read and review.

**Chapter 20: Religious Punishment**

Roland knew what he had to do as he and Eve exited the department store and headed back towards the casino where the others had first entered the mall to be captured by a mad man. He knew he couldn't fight the Reverend and his congregation alone so Roland was going to enlist help. Along the way Roland encountered one of the Reverends guards, and as he brought the now dry P90 up to bare he recognized the man as Carl from earlier now toting a camouflage hunting rifle. Roland clicked on the laser sight. "Turn around, very slowly and put the rifle on the ground."

"Oh, shit." Came the quivering reply as the skinny man turned around, his eyes quickly filling with fear.

"You've got two choices here, Carl. Do you mind if I call you Carl? I don't really care anyways." Roland centered the red dot of the sight on Carl's forehead as the man dropped his rifle. "I can either shoot you know, or you can run as fast as you can away from me and hope the ghouls get to you first."

Roland didn't have to ask a second time as the man took off running a trail of fluid dripping from one of his pant legs. Clicking of the laser sight Roland smiled and continued on towards the casino. Roland didn't encounter any other guards along the way but as he got closer he could hear the muffled sounds of the Reverend's amplified voice. Roland couldn't make out the words but he suspected it was more bullshit.

As Roland approached the casino entrance he felt his blood run cold and his hackles raise, there were at least a hundred of the monsters on the other side of the glass doors. They pressed against it leaving smears of blood and other disgusting fluids; they became livelier as he approached biting at the glass in an effort to get at the treats inside. "Don't worry assholes, you'll get your fill soon enough." Roland muttered pulling the grenade from his backpack.

It was cold outside and the doors were thick, double paned, shatterproof glass but the stench of death still assaulted Roland's nostrils as he taped the grenades to the outer doors and inner doors. The moans of the undead froze Roland's soul as he tied the fishing line to the grenade pins and moved as far from the doors as the fishing line would allow. Making a prayer to the gods of bad planning Roland pulled hard on the fishing line watching with relief as all four pins came free. His relief was cut short by the realization that a large explosion was about to happen very close to him and Roland took the opportunity to dive behind a concrete bench; holding Eve to his chest as he counted silently. "Five… Four… Three… Two…"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The quadruple explosion cut him off as the grenades blew in succession. Glass and debris fell all around his hiding spot and he could feel Eve quivering in his arms. Once he was certain there was no more shrapnel Roland popped his head up over the bench and his eyes grew wide. The doors had literally disintegrated from the explosion along with the faces of the ghouls closest to the doors and as the monsters poured in like football fans at the Superbowl Roland found his body moving of its own accord releasing Eve and standing up before Roland's horrified brain knew what happened.

Roland relaxed as he watched the creatures come through the windowless frames with almost comical slowness. The creatures tripped over the edges of the doorframes and each other but what they lacked in speed and intelligence they made up for in numbers. Roland found his earlier estimate of one hundred monsters overly conservative as he watched at least twice that many begin their slow march towards him, their yellow eyes glued to their target like flesh seeking missiles.

Roland knew the explosions had alerted the Reverend's people and he could hear the sounds of an approaching mob over the moan of the undead. Putting phase two of his plan in to action Roland ran towards the direction of the furniture store turning occasionally to insure his undead fan club didn't fall too far behind. The sounds of an angry mob from around the corner spurred Roland's feet as he neared the furniture store, the horde hot on his heels. Diving through the double doors he spun and kicked both doors shut just as the Reverend's congregation rounded the corner and came face to face with the sea of undead.

"Holy shit!" Came the startled cry from the head of the mob.

"Stand firm, brothers and sisters the lord will help us defeat these hellions." The Reverend's deep voice boomed over the hungry moans.

The sound of rippling gunfire reached Roland's ears as the living faced off against the dead. Taking that as his cue he took off towards the back of the store unleashing a short burst from the P90 and shattering one of the floor to ceiling windows as he went. Bursting through the hail of glass shards with Eve close behind him Roland got his bearings and headed for the music store where the others were being held.

Coming around the corner Roland spotted his friends and one other person kneeling down with one person guarding them. The sound of his boots on the tile floor caught the attention of the guard and his prisoners causing them all to turn and look at Roland and the dog. Surprise crossed Roland's face as he realized he recognized the fourth prisoner. "Roland!" she yelled a smile crossing her face.

Before Roland could respond the guard grabbed the girl's collar and aimed his pistol at her. "Stay where you are, don't come any closer." The guard's voice trembled and his hand shook.

Never pausing Roland raised the P90 and fired one bullet into the guard's chest. "I'm through playing around." Roland growled as a shocked look came over the guard and he stumbled backwards his hand touching the wound in his chest.

Caleb and Valerie wore horrified expressions as the guard collapsed, his last breathe used to utter, "Why?"

Ignoring Caleb, Valerie, and Cory, Roland walked up to the short blond girl and knelt in front of her. Tears streamed down her face from her green eyes and past the smile that would not come off, letting go of the SMG Roland pulled out his boot knife and cuts the ropes of her wrists.

"Hi Destiny, it's been a long time." Was all he was he managed to say before her small arms wrapped themselves tightly around his neck.


	22. Chapter 21: Make My Own Destiny

**Chapter 21: I make my own Destiny**

"Roland, I'm so happy to see you. I thought you might be dead like everyone else." Destiny tightened her grip on his neck.

"You know me, sweet heart, I can't die." Roland gasped. "But, you might kill me now if you don't let go.

"Oh, sorry." She pulled away and started wiping her tears.

"If it's not too much trouble I think we should get out of here, you know, if you don't mind." Cory held out his bound wrists.

Leaving Destiny to compose herself Roland freed the other three ignoring Caleb's grumblings. Everyone free they stood around rubbing their wrists except for Destiny who had taken up the guard's automatic. The sound of the fight between the congregation and the dead was getting nearer, and Roland looked at Cory. "Where are your weapons and gear?"

"The religious nut job stole everything and rationed it out to his people." The taller man said a look of disgust on his face.

"Well nothing we can do about that now, I suggest we head for the truck everyone…" Roland never got to finish his sentence as the Reverend and several members of his congregation came around the corner.

"You!" The annoying bastard shrieked. "Heathen, it was you who did this to us!"

"Everyone, run now!" Roland shouted as weapons were raised towards him and his companions.

Roland started running in the opposite direction of his friends, hoping the Reverend's hatred of him would make him ignore the others. Sure enough the red haired man's weapon followed Roland as bullets began to fill the air around him. Diving behind a section of the stage Roland realized the hail of bullets had ceased yet he could still hear the gunfire. Attempting to peek over the stage Roland came face to face with the Reverend's gold Desert Eagle. "Stand up, sinner; it's your judgment day."

Out of options Roland raised his arms and stood up as slowly as possible, he could see behind the Reverend that the creatures were making short work of the remainder of his followers. The big gun never wavered from the center of Roland's face. "I will not make the same mistake again, you have killed all of us and now I shall kill you." His knuckle whitened as he prepared to squeeze the trigger.

A gunshot went off and Roland assumed for all the world that his life had come to an end. The surprised expression on Roland's face matched the one on the Reverend's as the red faced man started to fall backwards. Grabbing the Desert Eagle Roland turned to see Destiny holding the guard's dropped pistol smoke coming from the barrel. "Nobody is gonna kill him while I'm alive." She said her face set in stone.

"Guess I owe you one." Roland's heart was still racing from his near death experience as he pocketed the Eagle. "Now, come on darlin' we gotta get goin'."

Destiny nodded as the first of the creatures rounded the stage and headed for the trio. Roland took Destiny's hand and the pair started running after the other three with Eve following close behind. A scream from the other side of the stage sounded the end of the Reverend's sermon. "Burn in hell, asshole." Roland spat as the screams died out.

They caught up with Cory and the others at the entrance where the truck still sat, everyone was breathing hard and Caleb's face had turned a deep shade of crimson. Nodding to each other silently Roland and Cory pushed through the doors the others following behind. "You've got the keys right?" Roland asked as they stepped out into the cold winter air.

"I left them in the ignition, pretty sure there wasn't anyone looking to take it."

"Good point, everyone in, I think it's high time we relocate ourselves." Roland opened the driver's side door and let Eve in before climbing in himself.

Once everyone was in Roland turned the key, breathing a sigh of relief as the big V10 rumbled to life. The creatures were starting to come out the doors they had just exited, and as Roland shifted the truck into drive he flipped the approaching creatures the bird. Safely out of the mall parking lot and headed back north Roland lit a cigarette, his first in a while. Sitting behind him Destiny reached forward and took the pack from him, lighting her own and savoring it, she hadn't had one in a while.

"Where we going Roland?" Cory asked his voice distant.

"I have to make a stop, then we're heading back to the base to see where that Colonel might have gone." Roland flicked his ash out the window as his thoughts trailed to Emily.

"Why are we going after that Colonel we should be finding somewhere to hide, those girls are probably dead anyways." Caleb's voice felt like sandpaper to Roland's ears.

Drawing the Desert Eagle Roland pointed the big gun at Caleb's face. "You listen to me you little shit, that is what I'm doing and if you don't like it you are free to go. I couldn't care less what happens to you, and to be honest I wouldn't mind you being eaten."

"Roland, calm down." Destiny's voice was soft and calming.

"Fine, but he better keep his mouth shut or I will leave him on the side of the road." Roland put the Eagle back in his pocket and took another draw of his smoke.

They rode the rest of the way to their destination in silence, the only sounds coming from the truck's motor and an occasional whimper from Eve. Driving slowly Roland turned down a side street and brought the truck to a stop in front of a large brown apartment building. Putting the truck in park Roland leaned back in his seat and looked up the brown building. "What are we doing here man?" Cory asked looking at the darkened monstrosity.

"I just need to check something." The door opened and Roland stepped out into the bitter darkness.

Telling Eve to stay Roland shut the door and headed around the truck towards the entrance to the building, the darkness making it appear threatening. Rounding the front of the cherry red pickup Roland found Cory standing outside the truck just closing. "Where the hell do you think you're going? Stay in the truck with the girls." Roland shouted over the wind, now almost a maelstrom.

"I'm going with you, whether you like it or not." The taller man shouted back, the wind making him squint rather like Clint Eastwood.

"Fine! What are we going to do about them?" Roland gesture to the truck with his right hand, his left occupied with attempting to keep the wind out of his eyes.

"Destiny seems like she can handle herself, and if they run into any trouble they can just drive away in the truck." Almost as pale as Roland the other man's face seemed to glow in the dim light.

"Whatever, let's get going." He turned into the wind his duster flaring out behind him like a superhero's cape.

The pair made their way up to the glass door at the front of the building and Roland tugged the handle finding the door locked. Looking at Cory and back at the door Roland took a step back and attempted to kick the door as hard as he could. His boot coming to a dead stop on the shatter proof glass, Roland reeled backwards in pain cursing. Hopping on one foot he pulled the Desert Eagle out of his pocket and steadying himself, aimed for the glass closest to the latch.

Shutting one eye Roland squeezed the trigger just as Cory took a step back and turned away. Even in the heavy wind the sounds of the gunshot and resulting shattered glass was deafening. The big .44 slug had torn through both the outer and inner doors shattering both before disappearing into the building, possibly out the other side of it Roland mused. Shaking his head all Cory could think to say was. "Holy shit."

"You're telling me, come on let's get a move on something must have heard that." Roland stepped over through the void where the glass had been and into the empty building.


	23. Chapter 22: Family Ties

**Chapter 22: Family Ties**

The building was deathly silent and Roland listened for anything moving as the two made their way up the stairs as quietly as possible. Their heavy boots echoed through the empty stairwell but other than that not a single thing in the building moved. Stopping at the top of the stairwell Roland pressed his ear against the door and held his breath. Nothing moved on the other side, only the sound of Cory's breathing broke the silence.

Turning the knob Roland opened the door and stepped through into pitch darkness, the emergency lights long since flickering and dying. Clicking on the P90's tac light he blinked in the light as Cory turned on his flashlight and the hall filled with light. Heading for a door on the right Roland kept his ears alert for any sound while Cory followed behind his flashlight scanning the hall behind them. Reaching out Roland tried to handle and found the door unlocked, giving it a push he stepped through the entrance as the door swung silently inwards.

Nothing stirred in the apartment as Roland and Cory entered looking up and down the hallway and around the living room and kitchen. Heading down the hallway Roland checked each room as he went, finding them all empty. Cory searched around the living room and kitchen; he hadn't found anything but something on one of the walls caused him to call out. "Roland, I think you need to see this."

"What is it?" Roland walked around the corner and into the kitchen.

"That." Cory gestured to the wall next to the fridge.

Scrawled onto the wall in several different colours was a note to Roland from his sister. _Rolly don't know if you'll see this but just in case, me and Mitch are leaving with Trevor. Things are really bad, a crazy lady tried to bite Mitch, and I tried calling you but it went straight to voicemail. We're heading south to Mitch's mom's, its out past Red Deer, there's a map in the drawer if you want to come. Hope to see you there. Love, Dassy._

Roland looked away from the wall his face ashen. "Maybe she made it bro." Cory put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, maybe." Roland's shoulders felt heavy and his voice was low.

"We can go…" Cory was cut off by a deafening scream from outside.

"Oh shit." Was all Roland said as he took off leaving the empty apartment behind.

Running as fast as he could, Cory close on his heels Roland took the stairs as quickly as he could making it down the four stories of the building in under thirty seconds. Outside Roland's adrenaline surged when he saw two forms outside of the truck wrestling, a flash and the echoing crack of a gunshot preceded one of the forms falling to the ground. "What happened?" Roland shouted as he came up to the truck.

"I just got out to piss." Caleb was holding a red stain on his left arm.

"You were bitten weren't you?" Roland's voice had become colder than the wind that tore between the surrounding buildings.

"No, of course not, I just fell when that thing came at me." Caleb took a step back from Roland his face a mask of fear.

"Don't lie to me, I hate liars." Roland reached into his pocket and pulled out the golden gun.

"Fine I was bitten, all right? That don't mean you can kill me." Caleb began crying as he continued to back away.

"You're bitten, you're going to die anyways and become one of those things." Roland used his hand cannon to gesture to the dark lump in the snow.

"Maybe it won't happen to me, come on dude you can't shoot me." Caleb stumbled over something and landed hard in the snow.

"You're right Caleb; I don't have to shoot you. I don't have to take you with us either." Roland kept the eagle trained on the smaller man as he stood up.

"Dude we can't just leave him to die." Cory was standing behind Roland now looking away.

"You're right, we can't" Roland thumbed back the hammer on the gold plated pistol.

"What are you doing?" Valerie shrieked from the back seat, Destiny was staring out the driver side window.

"Only what I have to." Roland voice was completely flat as he squeezed the trigger and fire spat from the front of the big hand gun.

"Dude no!" The wind and gun blast drowned out Cory's scream.

"You monster!" Valerie had begun crying as Caleb's body fell back into the snow a large portion of his head missing.

"Let's go." Roland pocketed the Desert Eagle and walked around to the driver's side of the truck.

Cory was all ready in the truck by the time Roland made it around the truck and climbed in. The only sound in the truck was Valerie's cries, now reduced to soft whimpers. Looking straight ahead Roland allowed a single tear to roll down his cheek before wiping it away and shifting the truck into drive. The snow began falling heavily as Roland maneuvered the truck back onto the highway and began heading back towards to base.

"You did what you had to." Destiny's hand touched his shoulder as she leaned forward.

"Doesn't make it any easier." Roland whispered back putting his free hand on hers.

"It'll be okay."

The Army Base was deserted by the time Roland drove the Dodge through the gates. Driving around looking for the command building Roland jumped in his seat when Cory suddenly shouted. "Stop!"

"What the hell…" Roland started as he slammed on the breaks but Cory had already jumped out of the truck. "Dumb son of a bitch."

Jumping out of the truck Roland looked at the building Cory had asked him to stop in front of. A sign above the door read "Quarantine" and had been written in black marker. Cory had already gone through the door as Roland came around the front of the truck. Going up the stairs Roland held the P90 ahead of him as he pushed open the door to what must have been the hospital before the world went crazy.

There were cots lining each wall of the building with curtains in between, Cory was standing at the foot of one staring. Roland came up beside him and looked in; the sight nearly causing him to vomit. It was Crystal, her hands and feet were tied to the railings and she was wearing a muzzle. Her eyes were completely yellow and the muzzle barely muffled the hungry snarls she made as she strained to get at the two men staring at her. Her bonds had worn through the skin in some places revealing with bone and her left hand appeared to be coming off.

"Dear god." Roland whispered in awe as he raised his submachine gun.

He never got the chance to fire as the butt of Cory's rifle slammed into his stomach, doubling him over and knocking him to the floor. "You're not shooting her, you've shot enough people."

"Dude. She's. A. Monster." Was all Roland could manage as he gasped for air.

"I know that, I'm not stupid. I just don't want you shooting my sister." Tears had begun streaming down Cory's face.

Picking himself up off the floor Roland briefly considered shooting Cory instead but thought better of it. Roland began heading for the door when he heard the crack of Cory's FAL and the clatter of the gun falling to the floor. Not bothering to turn around Roland stepped through the door and back out into the blizzard.


	24. Chapter 23: Where's Waldo

**Chapter 23: Where's Waldo**

Getting back into the truck Roland stared at the Building waiting for Cory to come out. When he didn't after five minutes Roland shifted the truck into drive. "Are you gonna leave him to?" Came Valerie's harsh voice from the back seat.

"I'll come back for him, but in the meantime why don't you go in and wait with him." Roland was starting to dislike the dark haired girl.

"Fine by me." She was out of the truck and up the stairs before Roland could reply.

"So where we going lover?" Destiny said as she climbed into the front seat doing her best not to disturb the sleeping dog.

"We are going to find the command building to see if we can find out where the Colonel that kidnapped my friend and Cory's girlfriend went." Roland was surprised the dog was still sleeping through everything.

"Sounds good to me." She smiled, not even the apocalypse able to stop her from being happy at seeing him again. Roland smiled too, he had missed her.

It took five minutes to find the command building, it sat near the burned out motor pool. It was a one story concrete building with large glass windows and a set of double doors in the middle. Roland brought the Ram to a stop directly in front of the doors. "You sure this is the right door babe?" Destiny asked.

"Well, it's the only building besides the hospital with the power still on. So I would say it's a pretty good bet." Roland shut off the truck, the gas gauge reading just under half a tank.

"Then let's go find out." Destiny opened the door and hopped out of the truck, her pistol out and in her hand.

"She is something else." Roland muttered to himself. "Come on Eve, let's go."

Eve followed Roland out of the truck and the trio headed towards the front doors of what Roland hoped was the command building. Peering through the glass Roland saw a long hallway but not much else and seeing no better alternative he pulled the door open. A blast of warm air rushed out and over Roland and Destiny as Eve went through the door ahead of them.

Letting Destiny through the door first Roland pulled the door shut behind him as soon as he was through. The warm air felt good and it immediately began melting the snow that had accumulated in Roland's thick hair, the melting snow streaming down his face until he used his hand to push his hair back. Destiny's blond hair clung to her neck and back as she tried her best to shake the water out.

From the end of the hallway the trio heard a loud bang and suddenly Eve took off running towards the sound. Cursing again Roland followed the dog, his SMG ahead of him and Destiny immediately behind him. Roland whistled for the dog to come but she ignored him before she turned a corner and disappeared. "Shit! Eve, come back." Roland hissed in a loud whisper.

Rounding the corner Roland and Destiny came face to face with dozens of cubicles and no sign of the husky. Closing his eyes Roland tried his best to listen for the sound of the dog's nails on the tile floor but the sound from the heating system was all he could make out. "Don't worry lover, she can't have gone too far we'll find her." Destiny's hand was again on his shoulder and Roland found he liked the feeling.

"I hope you're right, that dog is all I have left." Roland placed his hand on Destiny's.

"Not true, you got me now don't you?" Destiny's voice sounded hopeful.

A smile crossed Roland face making the raw flesh around his eye hurt. "I guess you're right darlin'."

"See it isn't so bad, now let's go find your pooch." Destiny slid her hand down and across his back before stepping ahead of him.

Destiny began looking in each cubicle and moving on to the next one as Roland followed behind. Roland couldn't help but notice how attractive Destiny was, she was dressed in faded form fitting blue jeans and a white down filled parka but he could still make out her toned body. Her blonde hair had started to dry and her face was gorgeous, perfectly symmetrical with full lips and big eyes. "So, it's been a long time Roland, what you been up to?" Her voice was low and sultry.

"Oh, you know, just working same as always. At least 'till this happened. What about you?" Roland found all he could think of was her and their history.

"Going to school, working, the same things I was doing when you left. You have a girlfriend?" She continued looking in each cubicle as she spoke.

"No, I haven't had any time for anything other than work. You have a boyfriend?"

"Had one, he cheated on me, then he tried to eat me, I killed him with a golf club." Her voice became hard but maintained its appeal.

"Sorry, to hear that." Roland knew that was only slightly true.

"It's alright, I'll survive; plus I've got you again." She turned to smile at him and for the first time in a while Roland actually felt good.

A bark came from around the corner and the moment ended as the pair took off running. Weapons leading the way Roland and Destiny rounded a corner and found Eve staring down one of the creatures that at the time seemed to fill the hallway. He stood at least three inches taller than Roland and out weighed him by at least fourty pounds, his fatigues bursting at the seams from the muscles bulging underneath. "Oh my god!" Destiny gasped as she backed into Roland.

Spotting her companion Eve turned tail and hid behind Roland. The monster began advancing on the trio as Roland pulled Destiny in behind him while making a slow retreat. The monster's face was almost completely normal except for the yellow eyes and blood dripping from his mouth. Raising the Desert Eagle Roland drew a bead on the monstrous head that seemed to just rest on the creature's shoulders. Squeezing the trigger Roland's expression turned to shock as a massive muscled arm smacked his arm; sending the shot wide, and knocking the pistol out his hand. "Oh, shit." Was all Roland could say.

Out of options Roland launched himself at the tank's midsection and found he was only able to knock it back a few feet. A heavy hand slammed into his back knocking him to the floor and shoving the air from his lungs. "Eve, Destiny go." He wheezed as a size sixteen boot stepped over him towards the girl.

Reaching out with both hands Roland grabbed the beast's right leg and kicked the other away from himself causing the titan to fall. Unfortunately for Roland a quarter ton of undead soldier landed right on top of him once again knocking the wind out of him. Careful not to put his arm near the monster's mouth Roland wrapped his arm around the thing's thick neck and held on for dear life as it struggled in his grip. Praying that Destiny and Eve were far away Roland felt his grip slipping as the brute raged in his arm.

The close proximity gunshot left Roland's ears ringing and he felt the thing go limp on top of him as a red mist spattered the wall to his right. Unable to push the dead weight off of himself Roland rested his head on the floor and attempted to catch his breath. Destiny rolled the former soldier off Roland's prone form and his lungs free Roland breathed deeply. "You alright babe?" Destiny had a very concerned look on her face as she leaned down to check on him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Guess that's two I owe you." Roland attempted a chuckle but his bruised ribs turned it into a pained hiss.

"You've sounded better sweety." Destiny put her hand out for Roland.

"I've definitely felt better." He took her hand and pulled himself to a sitting position, his ribs screaming in protest.

Standing up despite Destiny's protests Roland glanced around for his Desert Eagle finding it against the wall. The Eagle safely back in his pocket Roland looked down the hallway to see what the creature had been doing there. About halfway down the long hallway Roland saw a door that had been battered and stained in blood, clearly the giant had wanted something on the other side.

Putting his finger to his lips Roland motioned towards the door. Moving quietly as they could the pair moved towards the door, Eve following close behind. Pressing an ear to the door Roland could make out the sound of several people breathing, one seemed to be directly on the other side of the door. Taking a step back Roland knocked on the door and waited. The door slid silently inwards and Roland found himself face to face with a large shotgun barrel.


	25. Chapter 24: Love and Betrayal

**Chapter 24: Betrayal and Love**

Taking a step back Roland was about reach into his pocket for the Eagle but though better of it. His eyes adjusting to the darker lighting in the room Roland could make out that the person on the other end of the shotgun was about the same height and build as himself if a little thinner. Raising his hands Roland noticed that there were two others in the room hiding behind a desk. "Now, now friend I'm not looking for a fight, just wanted to see what that thing was after." Roland kept his voice calm and flat.

"Are you saying that thing's dead?" The man's voice was wavering and Roland could see something in his face. "I shot it twice with the shotgun and all that did was piss it off."

"You have to shoot them in the head, nothing else works." Roland mimed a gun to his head and took another step back.

"Hey! Stop moving!" The other man stepped out the room and into the hallway.

"I would appreciate it if you stopped pointing a gun at him." Came Destiny's calm and sexy voice as her handgun, Roland now saw it was a Glock, pressed up against the new man's skull.

"What the…" He started as Roland grabbed the barrel of the shotgun with his left and drew the Eagle with his right; pointing it between the other man's eyes.

"Please don't point guns at me, I am having a very bad day." Roland's voice was hard and low as he pulled the shotgun from the other man's grip. "Now my name is Roland, and this is Destiny."

"Jack Towers, that's Desire and Angela." He gestured to the two women who had now stood up from behind the desk.

Roland removed his handgun from the man's face but kept the shotgun in his other hand. Jack was as tall as Roland with brown hair that look like it had never been combed and glasses over brown eyes. He was wearing tight, dark blue jean, a black and white checkered parka, and red Converse All Stars. Angela was about the same height as Destiny with long, dark brown hair and blue eyes. She wore black yoga pants and a white parka over her slight frame, with white ski boots.

Desire was a few inches shorter than Roland with shoulder length dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. She was dressed in military fatigues with a red cross on each shoulder and a black combat boots. All three had dark rings under their eyes and Roland guess that they had been locked in this office since the base fell almost two days ago. "What're you guys doing here?" Desire asked in a Newfoundland accent.

"We are trying to figure out where Colonel Stone went with some friends of ours." Roland extended the shotgun but kept the Eagle in his hand, Destiny took a step back.

"I can help with that." The girl went over to the desk and Roland finally saw the name plate on the desk "Colonel C. Stone".

"Desire, don't help them they could be the lunatics that started all this." Jack slid his hand towards the shotgun's trigger guard.

"Are you stupid, we didn't start this. No one did, it just happened." Destiny's gun was still in her hand and she raised it slightly.

"Jack, calm down I don't think they want to hurt us." Angela's voice was smooth as glass and calmed the spectacled man instantly.

"Here it is, in case of catastrophic outbreak: evacuate all essential personnel to the Blue Mountain Command Bunker." The blonde woman was pointing to a spot on the map circled in red.

"That's in Ontario." Roland had come into the room and was looking at the map. "Near Niagara Falls, hell of a drive in a crapsack world."

"Woah, I ain't going to Ontario to some top secret military base." Jack had his hands up, clearly distressed at the idea.

"I'm not asking you to go, but I'm going. Far as I'm concerned you can do what ever you want." Roland folded the map and placed it in his inside jacket pocket.

"Jack, we don't really have anywhere else to go and we might last longer with others." Angela was standing next to Jack her hand on his arm.

"I guess you're right, hope you guys got a big vehicle." Jack apparently relaxed at Angela's touch.

"Come on we'll show you." Destiny gestured for the others to follow as she started down the hallway.

Stepping around the body that almost filled the hallway the quintet made their way back out to the Dodge where Jack gave a nod of approval. Roland and Destiny got in the front while the other three climbed into the back along with Eve who took a spot at Desire's feet. Once they were all inside Destiny lit two cigarettes and handed one to Roland who took a drag enjoying the taste. "It's going to be a tight fit once we get Cory and Valerie back" Roland looked around the truck.

"Perhaps we should appropriate another vehicle." Jack spoke from the back seat a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Good idea Jack, I think I know just the place." Roland shifted the truck into drive.

Turning the truck around Roland drove through the snow towards the base hospital hoping Valerie had brought Cory out of his stupor. Driving slowly so as not to hit anything Roland let his mind drift back to Emily, he had to get her back. He wasn't sure what the Colonel intended to do with the two women he'd taken but Roland was certain it couldn't be good. Bringing his thoughts back to the present Roland came to a stop in front of the hospital and pressed the horn.

Cory and Valerie came outside almost immediately as Destiny lifted the center seat and slid over close to Roland. Cory and Valerie both got in the front seat making Destiny press close to Roland, who found he didn't mind at all. Pulling away from the hospital Roland headed towards the armoury. "All right everyone here's the deal. We're going to make a quick stop at the armoury then were going to head to the nearby Ford Dealership. Once there everyone can go their separate ways in their own vehicle or we can stick together in two vehicles, its up to each person to decide."

"I'm with you Roland." Destiny chimed from beside him.

"I'll stick with you." Cory's voice was somber.

"I got no where else to go, guess I'll go with you." Desire's accent faded in and out as she spoke.

"We're coming Roland." Angela spoke for herself and Jack.

"What about you Valerie?" Roland tossed his cigarette out the window.

"I have to go west and find my family." Was all she said.

"If that's what you have to do I won't stop you, guess it's decided. Here's the armoury, Cory, Jack would you mind giving me a hand?" Roland parked the truck just outside the front doors.

Both men nodded and exited the vehicle along with Roland and all three headed up the stairs. Once inside Jack's eyes lit up at the selection of weapons in front of him running down one of the rows towards a section of black SMGs. While Jack was distracted Roland motioned for Cory to grab the other end of the .50 caliber machine gun sitting by the door. Once the MG was loaded into the box Roland and Cory each grabbed two M60 light machine guns and loaded them in the box.

Several boxes of .50 and 7.62 ammunition were loaded into the truck before Roland and Cory started grabbing small arms, filling a duffle bag with Browning Hi-Powers and 9mm ammo. Roland and Cory had just finished filling two duffel bags with shotguns, rifles, and ammo for the second P90 he'd found when Jack came around the corner looking rather like a skinny Rambo. He had a Browning on either hip, two shotguns crisscrossing his back and an M16 in either hand. "Tell me how are you planning to sit down?" Cory asked stifling a laugh.

"Guess I hadn't thought of that." Came the rather sheepish reply.

"Apparently now stop playing around and start loading grenades into a bag." Roland voice was firm but not harsh.

"You got it." Jack put one of his shotguns and one of his rifles in the nearby duffle bag keeping one of each along with both pistols before loading a backpack up.

Once everything was packed and loaded and each girl had been given either an MP5 or a Browning, Destiny taking one of each, Roland placed his two P90s on the dashboard and climbed in next to Destiny. Cory and Jack all got in the truck and pulled the doors shut behind them the warm air from the vents washing over them after the extended periods outside loading everything into the box. "Anyone else notice we don't have any food." Angela chimed.

"You know she's right." Cory said in a matter of fact voice.

"Yeah I guess you're right, all right I guess well stop at a food store on our way." Roland felt a little sheepish at forgetting food.

"He's supposed to be our fearless leader, we're all gonna die." Jack sung out from the back seat.

Roland didn't have the heart to tell him to shut up as he put the truck in drive and started for the highway. Thinking back Roland realized he had barely eaten in the last week and none of them had eaten since before the mall. As if in answer to his unspoken question Roland's stomach gave a loud growl and he pressed the gas a little harder, hoping they would be able to find food at one of the nearby stores.


	26. Chapter 25: Hunger

**Chapter 25: Hunger**

The only sound in the truck came from the windshield wipers moving back and forth the keep the heavy snow from obstructing Roland's view too much. Roland found he missed the radio and music as he listened to the rhythmic beating of the wipers, his reverie ended by the weight of Destiny's head on his shoulder. He had missed her, a lot, his move north had been one of the hardest things he had ever done.

The falling snow made it almost impossible to make out any of the surrounding buildings and Roland was having a difficult time trying to guess where the road was. Slowing the truck down Roland began looking for a turn off that he hoped led to a Wal-Mart parking lot. Spotting what looked like a turn off Roland pulled the truck into the parking lot and slowed to a crawl, he could barely see past the hood of the truck.

Bumping into more than a few curbs that had been buried under the deep snow was forced to continually back up and attempt different routes. Bright spotlights suddenly blanketed the truck blinding the occupants and forcing Roland to come to a sudden stop. Roland heard the dull bang of a distant gunshot an instant before a hole materialized in the windshield bringing forth a chorus of screams from his companions. "That was a warning shot, leave the parking lot now or we will kill you all."

"Shit." Roland cursed under his breath as he slammed the truck into reverse and floored it out of the parking lot.

"They shot her, the sons of bitches shot her!" Cory was shouting his hand pressed over a growing red patch on Valerie's shirt.

"Desire get up her and help her." Roland did his best to keep his voice calm.

"I need a first aid kit, I don't have anything but I'll do my best." The tall blonde girl was already climbing into the front as Roland opened his door.

"Where are you going?" Destiny followed Roland as he left the truck and headed around to the tailgate.

"I'm going to get a first aid kit." Roland's voice was hard and cold as the ice under his boots.

"I'm going with you." Destiny pulled back the slide on her MP5 as Roland pulled out his backpack and the Timberwolf sniper rifle.

"No you're not, you need to stay and help them. I won't be long I promise." Roland checked the rifle's magazine making sure it was full and closed the tail gate.

"You're going to kill them aren't you." The worry in Destiny's voice was almost tangible forcing Roland to turn away before she changed his mind.

"I'll do what has to be done." Roland walked off into the snow before she could say anything, he thought he heard her voice but it was lost to the wind.

Alone again Roland trudged through the snow towards the store one hand shielding his eyes from the heavy snow. He knew what he had to do and it wasn't going to be pretty. He was surprised how quickly society had dissolved in madness, the Reverend and his people now the lunatics guarding a Wal-Mart like it was the last bastion of humanity. Avoiding the spot where the truck had stopped Roland skirted to the left until he found a spot just outside the area the spotlights covered.

Unhooking the long sniper rifle from his backpack Roland got down onto his stomach ignoring the cold, wet feeling as his body heat melted the snow. Snow had already started layering itself on top of his prone form as Roland brought the scope up to his right eye. He could make out three men on the roof, two working the spotlights and one crouched with a rifle while two more stood guarding the front doors. There was a lot of wind but it wasn't enough to muffle the rifle's boom and Roland wouldn't stay hidden for long so he would have to be extra careful.

His decision made Roland shut his left eye, exhaled slowly and squeezed the rifles trigger. The gun roared and bucked against his shoulder as one of the lights suddenly pointed skyward. Roland clutched the rifle to his chest and began rolling as bullets began ricocheting off the ground he had just vacated. Coming to a stop a good distance away Roland brought the rifle up again and working the bolt action to eject the spent round, drew a bead on the nearest guard.

As the guard's lifeless body fell Roland was moving again, this time taking cover behind a waist high concrete barrier. The spent casing ejected Roland sighted the chest of the man on the roof and squeezed the trigger. The recoil from the rifle was starting to hurt his shoulder as he loaded in a fresh round and centered the crosshairs and the remaining spotlight operator. The light was moving frantically as its handler searched madly for the ghost that killed his cohorts.

Grimacing as he saw the young man's face Roland teased the trigger his right eye closing as the large caliber round tore through the chest of a man he was certain had to be younger than himself. Steeling himself Roland ejected the spent round and loaded in a fresh cartridge. Both spotlights were pointing skyward and as Roland scanned around for the last guard he found the man cowering behind a pop machine his rifle on the ground in front of him.

Holstering the rifle Roland drew his Desert Eagle and walked up to the cowering man. Kicking away the .22 caliber rifle Roland knelt down in front of the man the Eagle leveled with his stomach. A glint caught Roland's eye and he pulled his face back the hunting knife putting a shallow slice into his cheek. Pulling the Eagle's trigger as the knife reached his cheek Roland stumbled back his hand instinctively going to his cheek. "Well that was a stupid thing to do." He growled.

"This is our place, we got here first." The pain in his voice was incredibly apparent as the man did his best to hold a hand over his wound.

The wind died down a little and Roland looked out into the parking lot finally able to see most of it. Several different vehicles sat scattered around the parking most with the windshield shot out, several with the doors open and lumps in the snow next to them. Roland suddenly found himself even more angry and disgusted at the wounded man in front of him. "You miserable, piece of shit, you killed all those people didn't you?"

"They wanted this place, wanted to take it from us." Tears were streaming down his face now.

"They probably just wanted somewhere to hide from the ghouls running around everywhere; did you ever think of that?" Roland's voice got continually harder as he advanced on the man.

"No, it's ours and we're not sharing." Fear filled the man's eyes as Roland advanced.

"You're pathetic and I guess when I shot you in the belly I aimed a little too high." Roland brought the hand cannon to bear on the man's groin and fired.

"Ahhhhh!" The man screamed as his genitalia disintegrated.

"Now let's talk. How many others are there here?" Roland aimed the Eagle between the man's eyes, now filled with tears.

"Three more inside." Was all he could say before he passed out from the pain.

Deciding it wouldn't be worth it to waste another bullet on the bastard Roland stood up and looked inside the big store. Emergency generators kept the lights on and made it easy to see inside where the store was mostly clean. The survivalists had gotten here before the looters keeping the store in relatively good shape. A makeshift barricade stood between the two sets of doors, enough to keep the creatures out but not enough to stop Roland.

Prying the automatic doors open Roland squeezed through and quickly climbed over the barricade. The interior set of doors opened as he landed in front of them, making a loud squeal as they went. Knowing the sound must have alerted someone Roland dashed through the door and into the nearby McDonalds, taking cover behind the counter.

A few seconds later a man in hunting camouflage came out from the back of the store and began looking around. He checked behind the tills and down the nearby aisles, a pump action shotgun always leading the way. When he looked out the doors his face pressed against the glass Roland heard his shocked exclamation. "Holy shit, they're dead!"

The man turned to run towards the back of the store and came face to barrel with Roland's golden Eagle. Camo man froze instantly and his shotgun fell to the floor with a clatter. Gesturing with the gun's barrel Roland directed the man towards the McDonalds, keeping the .44 hand cannon leveled with the back of his head as they went. Once they were inside the restaurant Roland put a hand on the man's shoulder and forced him to his knees. "Now how about me and you have a chat?"

"What do you want to chat about?" The man's voice stayed flat and calm.

"Why you sons of bitches…" Roland never got a chance to finish as he felt something metal and gun shaped press against the back of his head.


	27. Chapter 26: Captured

**Chapter 26: Captured**

Roland raised his hands letting the Eagle hang from his finger but not dropping it. Camo man stood up and turned around a wicked grin on his face as he took Roland's weapon. "Keep them hands up and turn around boy." Came a deep angry voice from behind him.

Turning around Roland looked up at the man wielding a sawed-off double barrel shotgun. He stood at least six inches taller than Roland and outweighed him by a hundred pounds with a big bald head and arms as thick as Roland's leg. Any thoughts of taking the man in a fight dissolved as Roland felt the man's fist slam into his stomach his vest taking some of the impact but not enough to stop him from double over. "Stand up boy; we're going to the back."

Roland was stripped of his backpack and his knives, the survivalists taking extra care to make sure he didn't have any concealed weapons. His hands held high Roland was led to the back of the store a wary gun constantly leveled with his back. Passing through the swinging doors into the warehouse area Roland was led past the merchandise lockups; which he saw were presently filled with scared looking men, women and children. The big man shoved Roland unceremoniously into the empty lock up at the end. "You'll stay here 'till we find some monsters to feed you to boy." He laughed as he walked away.

Roland was pissed and he immediately started kicking the doors to the cramped lockout with no success. The doors were made of steel mesh with a heavy duty padlock through a thick steel latch; Roland wasn't going to get out that way. "Struggle all you want." The remaining survivalist laughed. "You'll just be tired when the dead show up to eat you."

Defeated Roland sat down in the cramped space, he had failed everyone. Valerie would die, if she hadn't already, the others would be killed or captured if they came to look for him. Outside he'd had the advantage thanks to the weather and the element of surprise, in the store he'd been careless and now he was locked up. "Frelling stupe." He muttered to himself.

Roland couldn't see in to the other lockups but he could hear shouts and cries from them as the guard made rounds back and forth. The guard was smaller than Roland and dressed in winter camouflage, he carried a small gauge shotgun that he occasionally pointed at Roland's cage as he went past. Tired and out of ideas Roland leaned back against the wall and looked up.

A smile crossing his face Roland sat straight up; the roof of his cage was just the four planks that made up the shelf above. There was a nut and bolt in either end of each plank and Roland discovered that they had not been tightened as he unscrewed each bolt with his fingertips. It took five minutes until Roland finally had all four unscrewed and was ready for the guard to walk past.

The guard strolled past Roland's cage, his shotgun held loosely in one hand as he went. Once the guard's back was turned and he headed back down the hallway Roland silently slid the boards out of the way and pulled himself out the cage, his legs enjoying the room. Sliding off the cage and onto the floor with barely a whisper of rubber on concrete Roland launched himself at the guard.

The guard turned to look just as Roland's right shoulder slammed into his ribs forcing air from his lungs and causing the shotgun to fire into the air. Momentum from Roland's charge carried both men to the ground and leaving Roland straddling the guard as he gasped for air. The sight of a two year old boy's face peering through one of the nearby lockups cause Roland's blood to boil as he pulled back his fist and began smashing his fists against the guards face. His anger increasing his strength as his punches landed Roland could feel the bones in the other man's face crack and shatter.

It took only twenty seconds of constant blows from Roland's fists before the guard was a bloody, unrecognizable mess. The sound of heavy boots coming towards the back reminded Roland that there were still two more survivalist in the store. Looking around for a weapon a smile crossed his face as his eyes spotted a bright red Louisville Slugger resting on a nearby shelf. Grabbing the bat Roland savored the heavy weight in his hand as he ran towards the sound of the approaching boots.

The big muscular man was first through the door and his shocked expression made Roland's smile larger as he swung the heavy bat. In a moment of overestimating how tough they are the muscular survivalist raised his arm in an attempt stop the bat like so many movie tough guys. The sound of his forearm breaking was quickly replaced by screams of anguish as he realized what had happened.

Taking the opportunity for a little revenge Roland swung his boot upwards, his shin connecting hard with the big man's genitals. Howling again the big man doubled over as excruciating pain shot through his body, the pain short lived as Roland's rising knee connected with the other man's face knocking him unconscious. "Earl, what's happening?" The last survivalist's voice came from the other side of the swinging doors.

Looking down Roland saw his Golden Eagle sticking from the big guy's waistband and reached down to retrieve it. "Come on, you dumb son of a bitch." He growled the Eagle somehow making his arm complete.

"Earl did you get him?" The man's expression turned from curiosity to absolute horror as he pushed the doors open and saw the blood stained Roland standing over the big guy's body.

"No, he didn't." Roland's voice was emotionless as he fired around into each of the man's arms, shattering bone and tearing muscle as the hot slugs tore easily through.

Pocketing his hand cannon Roland strolled over to the dying survivalist and pressed a boot heel into one of his wounds. The man screeched like a wounded animal but could do nothing to defend himself. Tired of the screaming Roland grabbed a pair of oversized panties off a nearby rack and shoved them into the wounded man's mouth. "You made a bunch of mistakes today, you know that? You hurt innocent people, you put people in cages, and your biggest mistake do you know what that was?"

The man's eyes were wide as he shook his back forth, each motion causing tears to splash to the floor. Leaning down until his mouth was next to the men's ear Roland lowered his voice to a deadly whisper. "You fucked with me, that's what and nobody fucks with me. Now, you're gonna die because of it."

Standing up Roland left the man to die of his injuries and returned to the warehouse area of the store. The big man was beginning to stir as Roland walked past so he pulled the Eagle out of his pocket and fired into the back of muscle man's head, he stirred no more. Searching the shelves in back it didn't take Roland long to find a set of heavy duty bolt cutters and satisfied they would work he went back to the cages. Cutting each lock Roland set free everyone the survivalists had been holding, the scared men and women thanking him as they averted their children's eyes from the man Roland had beat to death.

Roland reached the last cage before his; this one contained the two-year old boy he had spotted earlier and three women; one in her forties and two that appeared to be in their twenties. This lock was stronger than the rest; forcing Roland to brace one arm of the cutters against his chest while he pulled on the other. With a loud crack the cutters closed and the lock fell to the floor with a dull thud.

The cage swung open and the four stepped out into the hallway, joints cracking and muscles stretching. All three of the women stood about five feet tall, the two younger ones having brown hair while the older one had blonde highlights throughout. All four had incredibly dark brown eyes and dark, tanned skin. "Well it's about time someone dealt with them." The oldest one kicked the nearby corpse as she spoke.

"Mom was that necessary?" The daughter holding the toddler asked.

"Made me feel better; just wish it had been me that had done it." She took the child and turned to look at Roland. "Now, who are you?"

"Name's Roland Castle and you might be?" Roland couldn't help feeling that he knew them.

"I'm Alma Jesso, these are my daughters Megan and Natasha, and this is my grandson Seth."

"Well then ladies, it's been a pleasure to meet you but I have to go help someone." Roland was already starting down the hallway back out into the store.

"Do you mind if we come with, they totaled my SUV when we pulled up." Her voice was hard, someone trying to be tough when all they wanted to do was break down.

"I don't have room in my truck but maybe I can help you figure something out, I just need to find a first aid kit." Roland slowed and let the family catch up.

"I saw a bunch in an aisle near the entrance; I can show you where they are." Natasha stepped past Roland with a determined stride.

Roland fell in line behind the dark haired girl as the other two followed closely behind him, Alma still carrying Seth. Roland found his backpack on a till near the aisle that Natasha showed him where he grabbed two of the first aid kits and stuffed them in the backpack. "Now I just hope we make it in time." Roland let the way out of the store and back into the storm.


	28. Chapter 27: Slowing Down

**A/N:** Hi guys, sorry it's been such a long time. I had a wicked case of writers block, but hopefully this chapter makes up for and expect more soon. Thanks as always and remember, if you read it please review it.

**Chapter 27: Slowing Down**

Outside, they avoided the corpses near the door, Roland noticed the one he had questioned no longer breathed. All around the recently freed captives scattered and attempted to start vehicles or just started walking. Roland led the family at a rapid pace, first aid kit held close to his chest. Worry filled his heart as he got closer to the truck and the sound of someone crying reached his ears.

He reached the truck and knew immediately that he was too late. Angela had her face pressed against Jack's chest and was the source of the sobbing. Desire, Cory and Destiny had blood on their hands and arms, their faces ashen. The first aid kit fell from Roland's arms when he saw the blanket covered form on the side of the road. Destiny came up to Roland and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Roland, she didn't make it."

Alma, Megan, Natasha and the baby came up behind Roland looking at the scene around them. Upon seeing the body Natasha pressed the baby face to her chest while Megan buried hers in Alma's. The temperature was well below freezing but no one moved for a long time until Cory spoke up. "We need to get moving, something might come."

"He's right, we're gonna freeze to death out here and those things can't be far away." Roland found himself suddenly feeling the cold.

"Where are we going to go?" Destiny pulled away from Roland, almost reluctantly.

"There a garage near here where we can hide for a while." Roland did his best to compose himself in front of the others.

"Sounds good, so who are your new friends?" Cory looked at the family behind Roland.

"Right, this is Alma, her daughters Natasha and Megan, and her grandson Seth." He gestured to each of them in turn. "This ragtag bunch of misfits is Destiny, Cory, Desire, Angela, and Jack."

After everyone was introduced the group of what was now ten people squeezed into the Dodge and Roland started the truck. No one mentioned the blanket or what lay under it as the truck pulled away, a single tear escaped Roland's green eye, no one noticing in the dark interior. It was a tight squeeze in the truck; Roland, Destiny, Desire and Cory filled the front seat while the others made use of the spacious back seat, Eve had found a spot on Cory's lap.

They arrived at the garage quickly and Roland brought the truck to a stop out front. The building appeared empty; nothing could be seen moving through the small windows on the big roll up doors or in the office area. "Okay, Cory and Destiny will come with me and we'll see if we can find a way in. Once we're inside we'll open one of the vehicle doors and Desire will drive the truck in. any questions?" Roland grabbed the katana off the dash.

"How come Desire get's to drive the truck?" Jack whined from the back seat.

"Because you annoy me. Now if we don't open that door in fifteen minutes or you don't hear from us you leave, don't look back just take the truck and leave. Understood?" Everyone nodded to that. "Good, Cory, Destiny let's go."

"Dude your dog wants to come." Cory was attempting to keep Eve in the truck.

"Fine, let her come, she might come in handy." Roland had already exited the truck and was waiting for Destiny.

The trio walked around the garage looking for the office, silently moving through the deep snow as Eve hopped along beside Roland. They found the office on the far side of the building, just a small addition to the big burgundy garage. There were two mid-sized windows and a central door leading into a waiting area with a counter that split the room.

Walking up to the door Roland tried the handle but found it locked. He was just about to punch through the window when Destiny stopped him holding up something small and glittering. Pressing it to the glass she made a small circle near the handle and pushed in, a perfect circle feel to the floor inside. "Diamonds really are a girl's best friend." The blonde girl smiled as she reached her hand in and unlocked the door.

"Very clever, where did you get that?" Roland stepped inside, his P90's TAC light filling the small space with blue light.

"I did a little shopping before that nut job captured me." Destiny closed the door after Cory and Eve had entered.

The office was completely silent, only the sound of the four breathing could be heard in the small space. Moving around the counter Roland lead the way as the others follow, Destiny taking up the rear. Coming up to the door leading into the garage Roland peered through the glass, the headlights from the truck providing some light in the massive garage. There were three cars scattered around an area that could hold at least twice that many, Roland guessed the garage had been built from a converted warehouse.

Nothing moved in the garage, the light from the truck casting eerie shadows onto the high wall. Deciding it was safe Roland pushed the door open and stepped in the empty space beyond the door, the scent of oil and lubricants filling his nostrils. Listening for any of the creatures Roland closed his eyes and turned his head slowly. Satisfied there was nothing there Roland made his way to roll up door in front of the truck and pulled down on the chain.

As soon as the door was lifted high enough Desire drove the truck into the garage and shut the truck off. Peering out into the snowy darkness Roland wondered and worried as he watched the heavy flakes fall to the ground. Letting the door fall Roland grabbed the chain just before it hit the ground and lowered it as slowly as he could; the making barely a whisper as it came to a stop.

The other six climbed out of the vehicle, Jack acting as if he had been in the truck for hours. Leaving the others to stretch Roland headed up the metal stairs and looked around; the second floor was a combination of break room and tire storage. About the size of a large living room with plywood floors, a couple of couches, a fridge, a low table, and racks of tires along two walls. Roland figured this would be a good place for everyone to catch some rest while he tried to figure out a plan. Jack interrupted his thoughts. "Hey! _Fearless leader_, you know we didn't grab any food right?" Sarcasm poured from his lips.

"Shit!" Roland cursed, he knew he'd forgotten something but what he'd seen in Wal-Mart had distracted him.

"Well, what are we gonna do about it lover?" Destiny had come up the stairs behind Jack.

"Bring everyone up here and we'll figure something out." Roland set his P90 down onto the coffee table and fell into the couch his hands covering his face.

"Everything all right, lover?" Destiny sat down on the couch next to Roland while Jack turned back downstairs.

"He's right, I'm not a leader. I don't even know what I'm doing; I couldn't even remember to get food. Those people need a hero, not me." He was speaking fast, his words almost blending together.

"You are a hero babe; you've saved everyone here at least once. Including me and I can never thank you enough for that." She put her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

Roland was about to say something when the others trudged up the stairs. They were all tired, hungry, and scared and they were all looking directly at Roland. Seth was curled up asleep in his mother's lap while his mother and aunt rested their heads on Alma's shoulder. "Well dumbass what are we going to do?" Her attitude didn't surprise Roland and he was certain he would not be able to spend a long amount of time with her.

"I'm thinking some of us should go look for food while the others stay here, so we don't put everyone at risk." Roland could see by their faces that no one wanted to go anywhere.

"Who would be crazy enough to go back out into that blizzard?" Desire appeared to be on the verge of tears.

"Well, I'm going even if I have to go by myself." Roland stood and collected his SMG.

"I'll go with you lover." Destiny stood up before Roland could stop her.

"Might as well count me in." Jack stood up as well; looking around at everyone's shocked faces. "What I haven't had much of an opportunity to shoot those bastards and this seems like a good one."

Wiping a look of shock off his face Roland nodded. "You scare me, you know that? But it will be good to have you along. As for the rest of you, stay here and if were not back in one day I want you to leave. Cory you're in charge, keep them safe."

Cory nodded to Roland while Jack and Angela hugged, tears rolled down her cheeks as she whispered something in his ear. Roland became distinctly aware of Destiny's hand in his and he looked down, a smile crossing his face to find her smiling back. Once the good byes were said and the trio had gathered up their gear Cory let them out one of the bay doors, the sound of the door slamming shut and the click of the lock gave Roland shivers.

They began walking through the snow and Jack began complaining almost immediately. "Remind me again why we left the truck, I'm gonna freeze to death out here."

"One I don't want to draw anymore attention to ourselves than your voice already does. Two in case something happens to us I wanted them to have away to escape." Roland wondered what had made Jack's attitude so bad, but figured it would be best not to ask.

"So I'm guessing you just made us expendable; no escape, no hope of a rescue, and they leave if we take more than a day." The wind was still blowing enough to cover Jack's voice but Roland knew that wouldn't last.

"So where we going love?" Destiny was keeping pace on Roland's left, opposite Jack.

"I was hoping you would tell me, I don't live here anymore and I don't think we can ask someone."

"Well I think there is a Sobey's about fourteen blocks from here that might still have food." She checked a nearby street sign to be sure.

"Fourteen blocks! In a damn blizzard, I better get to kill something." Jack pulled back the slide on his MP5 ejecting an unused cartridge into the snow.

"Please don't do that, we really don't want to run out of ammo now do we?" Roland's shook his head wondering why he had brought Jack.

"Sorry, I seen people do it in movies and thought it would be cool." He looked rather sheepish, like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Don't worry about it; I've made more than a few movie mistakes." Roland was really starting wonder about Jack's story but a sound from around the corner distracted him.

A blood curdling scream came from around the corner of a nearby gated property and the trio ran around to see what was happening. They came around the corner to find a young girl who was being swarmed by two dozen of the ghouls. Her screams died as one of the creatures tore out her throat, crimson coating the snow while another tore one of her legs mostly off. Jack moved to help but Roland stopped him, it was too late for the girl and even worse several of the creatures had noticed the new arrivals.

With an unearthly howl several of them began moving in their stilted walk, almost as though their knees were disconnected. The three companions turned to run only to find a horde of the creatures behind them blocking their escape. Jack cut loose with his MP5 one handed, the recoil sending the barrel high into the air. At the same time opened fire with her own MP5 in short three round bursts scoring a head shot with each. Bracing his duel P90 fired from side to side with both in short bursts, felling several of the monsters but there were too many. "We have to get out of here!" Roland yelled over the moans and gunfire.

"Brilliant plan, where do you propose we go?' Jack's sarcasm had returned full force.

Looking around Roland spotted a short brick building with double doors out front. "That brick building, let's go!"

Jack didn't argue, he had reloaded his MP5 and was already moving with Destiny close behind. Roland's P90s clicked dry and he let them fall to his side as he reached back to pull the katana from its scabbard. Holding the sword underhanded Roland started after the other two, as the number of creatures behind him kept increasing. Jack was almost to the door and running as hard as his legs could handle, Destiny followed not too far behind letting off sporadic fire from her SMG whenever one got to close.

Roland was quickly catching up to Destiny, his sword slashing through the necks of any ghouls that came within range. Jack had reached the door which was thankfully unlocked and was motioning for the others to hurry up. Destiny reached the door only steps ahead of Roland and Jack pulled the door shut with a bang just as Roland's jacket cleared the frame. Taking a moment to catch their breath while the dead pounded on the door Jack read something on the wall nearby. "This way to relief shelter. You don't think…" He never got a chance to finish.

The sound of creatures coming down the hallway made Roland's heart race as he looked around. There was a door between the turn in the hallway and the trio. "There that door, let's go!" Roland drew his Desert Eagle as he gestured.

"Don't gotta tell me twice." Jack was already moving, Destiny once again hot on his heels.

Jack and Destiny had just run through the door as the creatures rounded the corner. There were dozens of all ages; most were dressed in their pajamas and Roland imagined the terror they must have felt and might still be feeling as he raised the Eagle and fired into the crowd. The ghouls were just about at the door as Roland leapt through, Destiny slamming the door behind him. Once the door was shut Jack and Roland slid a heavy metal filing cabinet up against it.

"Well what are we going to do now?" The panic in Jack's voice was unmistakable.

"We are going to stay calm and try to figure a way out of here." Roland was doing his best to control his voice.

"That might be difficult babe." Destiny gestured to the two large windows in the room.

The room had only one door and the two floor to ceiling windows and Roland could make out shapes moving on the other side of the glass and pressing against it. He could already make out stress fractures in the glass and knew it wouldn't last long. He checked his ammo; he had two spare clips for the P90s, two magazines for the Desert Eagle, eight shotgun shells, and the katana. He knew the others didn't have much ammo and he could see the worry in their faces.

"We're gonna die aren't we?" Jack's voice was low and pitiful.

"Most likely, but there's something I always swore I would before I died." Without warning Roland grabbed Destiny and kissed her, when her shock wore off she began kissing him back.

"Great, why does this always happen to me." Jack complained as the other two continued kissing, the glass shattering behind them.


	29. Authors Note

_**A/N: **_Hi everyone, guess it's been a long time since I've updated this story. I know I left you in quite the cliffhanger and I do have more written; not much but more. I have however decided to end Dead Cold as a fan fiction and instead recreate it as a Webcomic. I always wanted to use a visual medium for the story; I felt it would be more suiting to my abilities. As many of you have pointed out it reads like a movie, and I have less than stellar grasps on grammar and proof reading. Hahaha. So worry not my friends this story is no more dead than Roland Castle; brave, indestructible bastard he is. So keep an eye out for the webcomic and as always thank you all so much for reading and reviewing.

Roddy


	30. Chapter 28: Lost Friends

**Chapter 28: Lost Friends**

Cory closed the door after the trio was gone, a feeling of dread in his stomach. Turning back towards the garage he used his flashlight to scan the area. The others were all congregating upstairs so he decided to poke around downstairs for a bit, see if there was anything interesting. He started in the office; checking drawers and cupboards. The log book on the counter indicated that the garage hadn't been worked in since a week before the great panic that drove people out of the city. "Guess they knew it was coming." He whispered to no one.

There was nothing else interesting in the office, so Cory returned to the garage area. Including the survivors truck there were three other vehicles; a red Chrysler 300 with all four wheels off, a newer turquoise Toyota Rav4 with the hood up, and an early seventies Dodge Charger with the engine removed. Curious, Cory went over to the Toyota and looked under the hood, it didn't look like anything was wrong but he knew Toyota's were tricky to service. Shrugging his shoulders he climbed into the driver's seat and turned the key.

The engine purred to life, the now lit gauges showing a full tank of gas. Quickly turning the engine off Cory smiled to himself; at least they wouldn't need to find another vehicle now. The hood closed Cory's smile grew when he saw the pair of vending machines hidden in the far corner of the garage. One was filled with snacks and the other had bottles of pop; both had glass fronts.

Using the butt of his rifle Cory smashed the glass of both. Desire came running downstairs her SMG in hand as she looked for the source of the racket. "Cory? What the hell is going on?"

"Come help me." He called back as he filled his arms with junk food.

The pair loaded their arms with as much as they could carry and headed back to the break area. The group pigged out on junk food and talked about their lives before the world fell apart. Alma and her family were from Fort McMurray but had been at their cabin near Lac La Biche when everything had happened. They hadn't even known anything was wrong until several of the creatures had come out of the woods and attacked Alma's and Megan's boyfriends.

Alma and her daughters had fought off the creatures and escaped to Edmonton where they were captured by the rednecks at the Wal-Mart. They had been there a week before they were rescued Roland. Now they were trying to make their way back to Newfoundland to see if any more of their family had survived.

Desire was a field medic in the Canadian Armed Forces, one of many called back from leave when everything happened. She had left her family and boyfriend and hadn't heard anything from them since cellular service had died. Her friends Jack and Angel had come to visit her on the base when the dead overran it, leaving them trapped in the office where Roland had found them.

Angel and Jack had been driving to Fort McMurray from Newfoundland when the dead had began rising. They had decided to head for the base where they knew Desire was posted; figuring it was the safest option. Angel was worried about her family in Fort McMurray and Newfoundland.

Cory's heart fell and tears formed at the corners of his eyes as he told them his story. Cory and his girlfriend had been hiding at his parent's house when his sister had burst through the door with a bite on her hand. Not long after Roland had showed up with the red haired girl and began pointing the gun at Cory's sister. After Roland and the girl had left Cory, his girlfriend, and his sister had climbed into the Hummer and started off towards the south, hoping to find a way to Prince Edward Island.

They had never reached Edmonton; the military personnel had arrested them and impounded the Hummer. Cory had been thrown in a cell with Roland while his sister was placed in quarantine and his girlfriend was held elsewhere. When the base was attacked the Colonel had taken Cory's girlfriend and the red haired girl while leaving Roland and Cory to die.

Roland and Cory had made their way through the city to the mall where Cory had been captured and they had rescued Destiny. He told them how he'd had to shoot the creature his sister had become and how he'd watched almost everyone die. He didn't tell them how much he worried about his girlfriend or his family, he couldn't bring himself to. "You guys should rest; I'll keep watch for the other three." Cory stood up and headed downstairs as the others made makeshift beds wherever they could.

The garage was eerily silent as Cory moved about, the others having quickly fallen asleep. Occasionally he would peer out one of the windows into the snowy night, hoping to see the trio returning with food. They never appeared and as the sky started to lighten in the morning Cory grew worried. He knew Roland should have taken the truck but the fool would rather risk his life than put the majority of the group in danger. He could hear people stirring upstairs as he peered out into the blowing snow.

"They're not back yet, are they?" Angel's voice came from behind him, her worry matching his.

"No. Damn fool should have taken the truck."

"They said they weren't going far, what do you think happened to them?"

"If it were anyone else I would assume they had abandoned us here, but as cold as Roland is he wouldn't be able to."

"Are you sure?" Angel didn't sound as confident as Cory.

"Roland may be many things but he isn't heartless. He would never abandon us unless he had no other choice."

Angel seemed about to reply when someone started banging on the large bay door behind Cory. A scream came from upstairs and Cory drew his pistol. Creeping up to the door Cory peered out the window, his face lighting up when he saw who was on the other side. Holstering his gun Cory used the chain to pull the door open.

Jack and Destiny ducked through the door as soon as they could, both weighed down with a backpack and duffel bag each. They looked as though they had been through hell, both were covered in dirt and dried blood. Destiny collapsed as soon as she was through the door Jack was able to hold himself up but barely as the others came running downstairs. The others rushed to help Jack and Destiny but Cory found himself still peering into the snow.

When it became clear that no one else was coming Cory allowed the door to close, the thud as it hit the ground seemed louder than a gunshot even with all the noise in the garage. Destiny was sitting up now and Desire was feeding her sips of water from one of the bags Destiny and Jack had brought with them. Angel was crying as she furiously hugged Jack, his arms hung limply at his side and his gaze was distant. Alma was giving Seth sips of water and small bites of granola, the child devouring them hungrily.

"Destiny?" Cory knelt down in front of the young woman. Her eyes had the same distant gaze as Jack's and Cory looked at Desire, the medic's expression doing little to fill him with hope.

"Destiny, I need you here sweety."

"Destiny, we need to know where Roland is." The girl's expression changed at the mention of Roland.

"Roland?" Her voice was soft, distant, like someone half asleep.

"Yes, Roland, where is he?" Cory's questions became more urgent.

"Roland Castle is dead."


	31. Chapter 29: Saying Goodbye

**Chapter 29: Saying Goodbye **

With those words it seemed as though Destiny had set off a nuclear weapon and she knew it. The look of shock on Cory's face was like a knife to her chest, everyone had gone silent as soon as she had said words only Eve letting out a sad whimper. Roland had been a hero to each and every person in the silent garage, a few of them assuming he was invincible. To hear that he had died was too horrible for some of them to handle.

"How did it happen?" Cory was the first to speak, the look of pain he wore hurt Destiny deeper than any wound.

Everyone moved in close as Destiny began explaining what had happened after Roland, Jack and herself had left. Telling how they encountered the swarm, become trapped, and leaving out Roland's kiss.

Destiny had always imagined kissing Roland; she just wished it had been under better circumstances. The glass shattered and Jack let fire with his SMG managing to score a few head shots before the weapon clicked dry. Letting Destiny go as he spun around Roland unleashed both P90s towards the open windows building a small barrier of bodies to keep the ghouls at bay for a few more seconds.

"You two have to go, I'll keep them here and give you time to escape." Roland's face seemed to be carved from stone as he loaded his last few shells into the long black shotgun.

"No, I'm not leaving without you." Destiny fought back tears, afraid of what was coming.

"Why don't you two go and I'll hold them off?" Jack didn't look or sound nearly as brave as he wanted to.

"You'd be dead before we could get ten feet; at least if I stay you two have a chance to make it." Roland's face was grim. "Now get going, there is a hatch in the corner."

"I'm not losing you again!" Tears began to flow as Destiny screamed at Roland wishing his face would show something.

"You two have to go now!" Roland's voice boomed as the dead began to push through the pile of corpses. "Go Destiny, I'll follow as soon as I can."

"You better not die." Destiny kissed Roland's cheek before running after Jack who had already began to ascend the ladder up to the roof.

"You know me." Roland faked a smile and a wink as he unloaded the shotgun into the face of the ghoul that had gotten to close.

Once they were on the roof Destiny and Jack shut the hatch and slid the bolt in place, insuring nothing would follow them. The hatch secure the pair took off running looking for a ladder or someway to climb down as far away from the dead as possible. Tears continued to stream down Destiny's cheeks as the wind froze them and bit into her flesh. At the far end of the roof they found a ladder leading to the ground; it was covered at the halfway point but close enough to the ground that the drop wouldn't hurt.

"Wait, I. Need to. Catch my. Breath." Destiny was panting, the cold air burning her lungs.

"No problem." Jack sat down with his legs hanging over the edge of the roof.

The sound of shooting from the other end of the Rec Center had long since died away, but given Roland's limited ammo supply that wasn't surprising. They were too far away to hear what Destiny imagined were Roland's cries of rage and the hungry moaning of the undead as they began feasting on his flesh. Destiny knew the situation had been hopeless, and that she would never see Roland again.

Wiping away a tear Destiny stood up and looked around in an attempt to figure out where they were. She could see the Sobey's was only blocks away and there didn't appear to be too many ghouls between them and the store. It would be a waste to go back empty handed considering the sacrifice that had been made. Her mind made up Destiny moved towards the ladder. "Come on, Sobey's is only a few blocks away and if we hurry we can make it before those things find us."

"Are you serious? After what just happened you still want to head to the Sobey's?" Jack stood up, his expression incredulous.

"Roland died so we could live, doesn't make any sense to die of starvation. So let's get to the store, grab some food and head back before something else happens."

Unable to argue, Jack stood up and began to descend the ladder with Destiny following close behind. Once on the ground the pair began running in the direction of the Sobey's; their ammo almost gone they could not afford anymore encounters with the undead. Thankfully it seemed most of the creatures in the area had ended up at the Rec Center since they encountered none en route to the store.

Arriving at the supermarket Destiny and Jack hid behind a car in the parking lot and did their best to make sure the incident at the Wal-Mart was not repeated. Fortunately the store was empty and dark, they could see nothing living or dead moving inside. Once they were certain it was safe the pair made their way quickly across the parking lot towards the front doors, pausing only briefly when the sound of a lonely moan came with the wind before being suddenly silenced.

They were surprised to find the front doors destroyed and a newer Camaro smashed against a stack of pallets. Aiming their MP5s at the open driver's side door, the pair did their best not to get too close, just in case the driver never made it out. They found the car empty with a trail of blood leading away and into the store. Clicking on the tactical flashlights mounted on their SMGs the pair let their curiosity get the better of them and followed the trail into the dark.

With the exception of the Camaro and the blood the store had been largely untouched, that couple with subzero temperatures made the store a veritable oasis. As a place to survive it fell short, having too many exits and entrances, being far too big, and the fact that the hole in the front of the store was far too large to fix or barricade. Jack and Destiny moved as silently as possible through the store listening for anything that sounded hungry.

The trail led to a set of swinging doors marked "EMPLOYEES ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT" and they could hear someone, definitely living, moving on the other side. They could the person calling out to god to take them and crying about being left behind as they moved about in the darkness. Nodding to each other the pair pushed open the doors and stepped into the cavernous warehouse, unaware that what waited on the other side would haunt their dreams for a lifetime.

The man was naked except for a pair of white briefs and his orange hair was wild and spotted with blood; this was nothing compared to his body. His skin was a very pale white and appeared to have been mutilated by a food processor; he was covered in cuts and blood from head to toe. Destiny was surprised he hadn't yet died or passed out from blood loss.

"My father said god, would protect us." The man fell to his knees, his hands clasped towards the ceiling.

Destiny suddenly realized she had seen this man before, not too long ago. He had his father's red hair and religious fervor; a closer inspection revealed each injury to be a cross cut into his skin. Realizing that she was looking at the Reverend's son Destiny began backing away, she was about to warn Jack when the man attacked.

"The devil shall not take me!" Lunging as he screamed the Reverend's son was able to knock Jack's MP5 out of his surprised hands as both men fell to the floor.

Taking aim with her MP5 Destiny found herself frozen as she watched the crazed zealot pummel her friend with bloody fists while Jack did his best to cover his face from the assault. She knew she wasn't afraid of hitting Jack nor was she afraid to kill a human being; though it had been difficult to pull the trigger when she had shot the Reverend. "Destiny, shoot him!" Jack screamed.

Destiny squeezed the trigger only to hear the SMG click dry on an empty; she must have run out of ammo in the Rec Center. Thinking fast she dropped the useless weapon and pulled a folding knife out of her pocket, clicking the three inch blade into place as she did. The man was at least a foot and a half taller than Destiny and outweighed her by well over one hundred pounds but she considered none of that as she tackled him and drove the knife into his chest as she did.

A scream of rage erupted from the pale man's lips as both he and Destiny rolled along the floor and came to stop against the back wall. Destiny had the wind knocked out of her and had lost her grip on the knife. The Reverend's son was straddling her and had his hands raised; ready to bring a crushing blow down on the girl's head. Covering her face with both arms Destiny braced herself for a blow she knew her arms couldn't stop. The deafening bangs of two quick gunshots echoed throughout the warehouse and Destiny took a deep breath as the weight on her chest disappeared.

Opening her eyes she saw the Reverend's son's eyes gazing blankly at her as blood from two large head wounds poured over them. "Boom, headshot." She looked over to see Jack on his stomach; his MP5 still pointing to where the now dead man had been. Sliding out from under the dead man's leg Destiny got slowly back to her feet; her entire body ached from the roll across the floor.

Looking over she saw that Jack was also standing up, his left arm held close to his chest as he did so. They were both covered in the dead man's blood; a situation that thoroughly disgusted Destiny. Wishing for a shower destiny picked up her MP5 as he and Jack exited the warehouse and went back into the store, leaving the dead man alone with his demons.


	32. Chapter 30: Apologies

**Chapter 30: Apologies**

They found two duffle bags and backpacks in the sporting goods section and began filling them with non perishable food and assorted drinks. The low temperature had kept most of the fresh food from filling the store with the odor of rotting food but most of it was still inedible. Once they both had as much as they could carry the pair exited the empty store, a silent tomb for a man who lost his mind.

She knew it could be dangerous but Destiny began making her way back to the Rec Center where they had left Roland. She had already accepted that he had died quickly as the ghouls overpowered him, but she had to be sure. It might be a world gone mad and she may not have seen him in a long time, but Destiny wasn't going to let Roland go so easy.

"Uh, why are we heading this way?" Jack looked uneasy, his eyes moving quickly back and forth. "You know those things most likely killed him quickly and are now looking for us right?"

"I know, but this is Roland we're talking about and if there is even the slightest chance he survived I'm not giving up on him." Destiny's eyes burned as she held back the tears that threatened to fall at the thought of Roland being killed.

When they reached the Rec Center they found only the silent aftermath of bloody carnage. The corpses of ghouls lay everywhere, many in several pieces, almost all with their head removed. It looked like Roland had managed to make it outside the Rec Center, his sword lay broken just outside of the piles of bodies and two sets of blood footprints led away from the Rec Center and into a greenbelt between two rows of houses.

They found the body of a ghoul about fifteen meters into the greenbelt, a combat knife buried in its eye. Fresh bright red blood poured from the creature's mouth, and it had what looked like a jacket sleeve gripped in both hands. Destiny knew what had happened, she knew what she would find if she followed the bloody footsteps leading away from the body, but she had to know, had to see it.

They found Roland twenty meters from his attacker, lying on his back in the snow. His jeans were frayed and completely soaked in blood; Destiny could only imagine what his legs looked like underneath the now dark red denim. The left arm of his jacket had been torn off and the arm underneath had been destroyed; bone showed in several places where bite size chunks of flesh and been torn away. When Destiny's eye finally managed to reach his face they found his left eye to be a white, pulpy mess with blood covering the side of his face and pooling in his ear.

Roland's right eye was open and his mouth was moving but the wind coming through the greenbelt covered any sound he might have been making. Collapsing to her knees beside the ruined body Destiny could no longer hold back her tears as she leaned her head close to Roland's.

"I'm sorry, Destiny, looks like I'll be leaving you again." His voice was faint, barely even a whisper and his breathing was very shallow.

"Don't be sorry lover; I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm the reason your like this."

"Don't be silly." The corners of Roland's mouth lifted in a pained smile. "I always wanted to die being a hero."

The wind carried the sound of moaning along the greenbelt, a warning that more creatures were coming.

"We need to go Destiny; we have no way to fight." Panic filled Jack's voice as he peered through the snow towards the sound.

"We can't leave Roland, not like this!" Destiny screamed at the thought of losing him forever.

"You have to go beautiful, don't worry about me, I'll be alright." Roland's good eye looked directly into hers as he used his hand to caress her face. "I wish I could have spent forever with you Destiny, I always loved you. Now go quick…"

The light faded from Roland's eye as it closed and his arm fell softly into the snow. Jack reached under Destiny's arms and began pulling her away from Roland's lifeless body. He could see at least three of the monsters closing in through the snow.

"I love you too." Destiny whispered as she turned her back on his still form, the snow already beginning to cover him a soft white blanket.

Destiny and Jack began running as hard as they could, making their way through the streets towards the garage. Destiny tripped on something frozen under the snow and ended up on her hands and knees in deep snow. Seeing what had happened Jack helped her back to her feet and the two continued on. As the snow began to fall more heavily, Jack and Destiny found they had to hold on to one another to keep from getting separated as visibility dropped to zero.

When it became impossible to move, the pair took shelter in an abandoned truck. It was roomy enough inside for Destiny to lay on the back seat while Jack reclined in the driver's seat. They were both breathing heavy from the weight of their bags and the exertion of walking through deep snow. Destiny closed her eyes and did her best not to think; the image of Roland's broken body had burned itself into her mind and nothing could get it out.

For a long time neither person said anything, they rested in complete silence save for the snow hitting the window and the sound of breathing. Destiny let silent tears flow down her face; after so many years without him she had found him again only to lose him after a few days. She had known it was a mistake to let him go when she did, but she had to do some things first before settling down. Those things all seem pointless now the world was coming to an end at the hands of the undead.

"I'm sorry." Jack had never been very good at silence.

"What was that?"

"I'm sorry, about Roland. I know you had feelings for him."

"I guess that's just how the world is now, I just wish I had told him sooner, you know?" Destiny was drying her eyes as she sat up.

"Yeah, I kind of do. I don't know what I'd do if I lost Angela. Most likely go crazy start thinking I'm a ghoul."

"Well let us hope that you never lose her." Destiny forced a smile. "So how did you end up here Jack?"

Reaching into one of the bags Jack handed Destiny a drink as he explained what had happened to him and Angela since the outbreak. Hearing his story Destiny found she could better relate to this man she had only met a few days before but a strong bond with. Jack's story finished and Destiny told him hers; describing how she had been captured by the Reverend and rescued by Roland and tell Jack a little about their shared past.

She found she could not control her tears as she told Jack about the day she had let Roland go. He had begged her to come with him, promised her the world and she had said good bye that day. She had always regretted it but could never let Roland or anyone else know, she hadn't been ready to give up her life for him not yet and Roland, being Roland waited for nothing. It had been over five years when he had rescued her from the Reverend, now she had lost him again in only a few days.

The snow had begun to let up and Jack suggested it was time for them to finish their journey back to the garage; the others were probably worried about them. Destiny agreed and the pair began to gather their things making sure they had everything. Destiny was just about the open the door when a ghoul slammed its face against the glass; its teeth attempting to bite through the glass. Startled Destiny immediately raised her SMG and pulled the trigger, the rapid clicks of an empty magazine echoed through the truck like church bells.

Looking around in a panic Destiny found Jack smiling and she stopped wondering what was going through his mind. Without a word Jack reached under the back seat and felt around for a few seconds before pulling out a heavy black tire iron. With a look in his eyes that said "Watch this." Jack leaned out the door as he opened it and brought the heavy iron down with all his might.

The tire iron smashed through the skull of what had not long before been a first grade teacher whose student had bitten her. As her now lifeless body fell into the snow and disappeared into a cloud of white the two she had been attempting to attack exited the truck and began running towards the garage.

Finally finding the big red door to the garage they both began pounding on it, looking around as they did. When the door finally lifted both Destiny and Jack rushed through collapsing almost immediately afterwards. As people swarmed around her Destiny could see Cory holding the door open and looking for Roland. She wanted to shout that Roland was gone, that Cory should close the door before those things came but she could do nothing.

"Destiny?" Cory's voice sounded so far away, like a dream.

"Destiny, we need you here sweety." This time it was Desire, she seemed nice.

"Destiny, we need to know where Roland is." Cory's voice was louder now.

"Roland?" Just saying his name was hard.

"Yes Roland, where is he." Cory's voice was starting to annoy Destiny.

"Roland Castle is dead." The words felt like acid on her tongue as she spoke.


	33. Authors Note 2

A/N: Guess what guys? That was the last chapter I'll be uploading online. I'll be writing one more chapter for Dead Cold and that's it then I'll begin writing the sequel while I go about getting this one published as an ebook and hopefully a paperback novel(old school I know but you can't sign an ebook). So I hope everyone has enjoyed the ride as much as I have, I love every one of my fans few though they may be. So keep your eyes open for Dead Cold as an actual novel and the sequels to follow.

Till then later dayz,

Punisher


	34. Authors Note Final

A/N Final: Hey everyone just so you know Dead Cold has been published on Amazon in both EBook and trade paperback formats; they should be available within the next few days. Thank you everyone for sticking by me through all of this and I hope you enjoy the series as it comes out. BTW sequel is called Dead Reckoning. Shh don't tell anyone.


	35. Authors note links

A/N Final: Hey everyone just so you know Dead Cold has been published on Amazon in both EBook and trade paperback formats; they should be available within the next few days. Thank you everyone for sticking by me through all of this and I hope you enjoy the series as it comes out. BTW sequel is called Dead Reckoning. Shh don't tell anyone.

.com/Dead-Cold-Volume-Roddy-Cross/dp/1475105185/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333234605&sr=8-2

.com/Dead-Cold-ebook/dp/B007P2ECFA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333234629&sr=1-1


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